Next year, Bakersfield Business Conference attendees will be able to see 10 of the best speakers from past conferences.

That was the word Monday from conference officials after last weekend’s 20th annual event.

Conference attendees took a survey of 300 names and voted for who they would like to see at next year’s conference. Officials took the top 20 names and chose 10 of them for 2005.

In addition to the 10 speakers who have been to the conference before, there will be five new people, according to Susan Stone, conference assistant. She would not confirm whether it would be held at the same location and would not say who the speakers will be until March. Attendance for last weekend’s event was 6,000, according to Stone.

This year’s Bakersfield Business Conference, held on Oct. 9, was the one event where thousands of people could walk through the middle of Truxtun Avenue.

The street, one of the main roads in Bakersfield, was blocked off and covered with Astroturf. The speakers were talking inside Centennial Garden, rather than inside a tent as in years past at the soccer fields of California State University, Bakersfield.

There were the same vendors as last year, with the exception of Frito Lay, which was not present.

The lineup at this year’s conference had actors, comedians, politicians and heads of businesses.

Julie Andrews, Rich Little, John Cleese, Dennis Miller and former Gen. Tommy Franks were some of the recognizable names at the event. Every year, there is a special guest.

This year, the special guest was former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. President Bush closed the event with a pre-recorded message to conference attendees.

Then Aznar and Franks came out to the stage while Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA” was played. Confetti and red white and blue balloons were dropped from the ceilining while conference attendees present in Centennial Garden waved American flags as the song played.

In the media room, Cleese was asked what he thought of the Bakersfield Business Conference.

“Is that where I am now?,” he replied jokingly. He then said that he has never heard of anything like it anywhere else in the world.

Attendees had varying opinions on the event. Betsy Stilwell, 52 from Victorville, liked the event.

“I enjoyed it. I have come for years,” she said.

Bob Shipley, 47, of San Diego, called it a Woodstock of sorts.

“The conference is somewhat of a Republican Woodstock,” he said.

At the end, musical entertainment was provided by Johnny Counterfit, The Grass Roots and Herman’s Hermits.

Herman’s Hermits sang songs such as “Henry VIII” and “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter.”

Two people from Peace Bakersfield, an anti-war organization, were outside the conference protesting.

“We think that the business conference is exploiting the people of Bakersfield for profit. … It costs over $425.”

“They put grass on the street temporarily, and there’s homeless people right down the street over here. It shows a lot of arrogance toward these people to come in here,” said Douglas McAfee, 50.

According to protester Rachel Miller, 34, the Bakersfield Business Conference is not open to the whole community.

She said the conference is a meet-and-greet event for the people who control Bakersfield.

“It’s not meant to be open to everybody. It’s not really open to small businesses.” said Miller.

“How many small businesses can afford $425 per person?”