O is for Olive Festival

Big news, dear Take 25 Readers! The first Olive Festival is in the works.

Yep, an Olive Festival! Organizers have set it for October 19, 2013 at the Paicines Ranch in beautiful Paicines, just down the road, south of Hollister.  Save the Date!

Olive trees were first planted in the area at Mission San Juan Bautista by the Spanish padres.  The mission used the olive oil it produced for essential goods that it could not make.

Today, we have several local olive growers in San Benito County who produce award winning olive oils.  Many of which can be bought at local businesses, such as San Benito Bene and Bertuccio's/The Farm, as well as from the producers themselves.

Here are some of the local olive growers that you can check out online:

• Brigantino Olive Oil
• Guerra Vineyards and Groves
• Oil of Paicines 
• Pietra Santa Winery  
• Sons-of-Sicily
• Suncoast Organic Farm

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.  Click here to check out  other A to Z Challenge participants.

N is for a New National Park

Just recently, the area got a new national park when the Pinnacles National Monument was redesignated as the Pinnacles National Park. Hurrah! A big thanks to Congressman Sam Farr for introducing the bill in Congress.

The 59th national park is home to condors, bats, and various other flora and fauna. It offers fun adventures for hikers, birders, rock climbers, naturalists, families, and everyone and anyone who enjoy being outdoors. The eastern entrance is about 30 miles south of Hollister, right off Highway 25. To learn more about the new national park, check out these links:

• Pinnacles National Park
• "Pinnacles Rocks: One of California's Best Kept Secrets" by Mike Sweeney
• Friends of Pinnacles
• Pinnacles Partnership

I've been participating in the 2013 A to Z Blogging Challenge, which goes through the month of April. You can check out other Challenge bloggers by clicking  here.

M is for Mustard

See all that yellow. That's wild mustard. It grows freely in the fields and orchards during Spring. Some historians say that the Franciscan padres scattered the seeds as they walked the El Camino Real to better see the road. I wonder if they also ate the wild growing vegetable. It tastes so much better than the mustard greens found in the supermarkets.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. This is the third week. To check out other A to Z participants, click here.

L is for Lido Hotel

Whenever I walk by Lido Hotel on East Street, I wonder what it looks like inside. Would I shudder in disgust or gasp a "Wow!" at a sight of ghostly splendor

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

K is for Knoll

I love this sight every spring—the oak trees dancing on the green knolls above Union Road.

I'm participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge during the month of April.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

J is for Jalopy

The jalopies are spiffed and buffed and anything but dilapidated when you view them at car shows, of which there are several throughout the year in and around Hollister.

One of the bigger car shows is part of the Hollister street fair. This year the annual Street Festival, Car Show, and Swap Meet will take place on July 20. For more info, head over to this page at the Hollister Downtown Association Web site.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Want to check out other participants?  Click here.

I is for Irrigation

Drive the length of the Highway 25, from beginning to end, and you'll easily understand how agriculture is--and has always been--a major industry of San San Benito County. Thank goodness for irrigation.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

H is for Horse

For the past 79 years, the San Benito County Saddle Horse Association has hosted an annual Horse Show and Rodeo at Bolado Park. This year shall be no different. The 80th annual event will take place on the June 28 to June 30 weekend. As always, it will be kicked off with a parade down San Benito Street on Thursday evening (June 27).

Head over to San Benito County Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo Web site for a deal more information.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.  Click here to check out other bloggers.

G is for Golden

This is a common sight around Hollister and throughout San Benito County, come summer time. Would you say the hills are brown or golden?

Golden? Ah, you're a true Californian.

Someone once told me that he knows when strangers are Californians at heart. They get a blissful sound in their voice as they describe the golden hills of their home.

Today is the second week of the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. Would you like to check out other participants? Click here and enjoy.

F is for Fair

The San Benito County Fair, that is.

This year, the county fair will be held October 4,5 and 6. To learn more, check out the San Benito County Fair Web site.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.  Click here to check out other blogging participants.

E is for Everywhere

The five palm trees. I can see them from almost everywhere in downtown Hollister.  One of these days, I'm going to find out who planted them and whether there was a reason for planting them. After all, palm trees aren't native to the area. Here's another view of the five palm trees.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

D is for the Diablo Range

The Diablo Range flanks the east side of Hollister. For that matter, it runs through all of San Benito County. The mountain range starts up in the San Francisco Bay Area and 'flows" down to the northern part of Kern County.

I'm participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge this month. To check out other participants, click here.

C is for Clock Tower

The clock tower is on top of the Eastern Star Masonic Temple Building. Both the tower and the building are 104 years old. If you'd like to know more about them, check out this link.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. That means I'll be posting every day in April but Sunday.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

B is for Building

The Hollister City Hall in the late afternoon lighting

The City Hall building was originally the home of the San Benito County Free Library. Yes, it was a Carnegie library. In the 1990s, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. That means I'll be posting every day in April but Sunday.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

A is for Apricot

Today's post starts the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I'll be going through the alphabet during the month of April. No posts on Sundays though. The challenge was founded by Arlee Bird. Thank you, Arlee! You can check out  A to Z participants by clicking here. Now, on with the first post. . .

The Blenheim apricot, in particular. It's a smaller apricot, full of intense flavor, whether eaten fresh or dried.

Once upon a time, Hollister was surrounded with Blenheim apricot orchards. And, picking or cutting apricots was often the first job a kid of my generation got. The cut apricots were laid on trays and set to dry naturally in the sun. The few orchardists who are still in business continue the same process today. Two local sources for locally grown apricots are Apricot King and The Farm/Bertuccio's.