Veterans Day 2015

Veterans Day is this Wednesday, November 11. This year's activities will start with the annual breakfast fundraiser sponsored by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) at the San Benito High School. Open to public, the LULAC scholarship fundraiser will be from 7:00 a.m. to noon. It's $8 per plate.

Also scheduled that day will be the annual Veterans Day Ceremony and Parade hosted by the Hollister VFW Post 9242 and American Legion Post 69. Activities at the Veterans Memorial Building in Downtown Hollister will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a military benefit fair. The banner presentation, which is the installation of banners honoring local military service members, will be at 10:30 a.m. This will be followed by the memorial ceremony at 11:11 a.m., after which there will be a BBQ luncheon.

The Veterans Day Parade will start at 1:30 p.m. It will march along San Benito Street through Downtown Hollister, turning left at Fifth Street.

For more information, visit the Hollister Veterans Day Parade Facebook page.

Dia de los Muertos with El Teatro Campesiño

This weekend, El Teatro Campesiño will start off its 50th year with its annual Dia de los Muertos celebration in San Juan Bautista. Through dance, music, art, and altar offerings, the locally-based, renowned theater company will honor and remember the dearly departed. The event will begin on Friday, October 29 and go through Sunday, November 1.

Joining in the celebration is the Esperanza del Valle Folkloric Dance Troupe, which will perform throughout the weekend at the Playhouse on 705 4th Street.

• Friday, 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday,  4:00 p.m.

The dance group will perform traditional dances from the Huasteca, Veracruz, Nayarit, Jalisco, and Colima regions, as well as perform Macaria, an original choreodrama that the dance troupe adapted from the novel written by B. Traven. Tickets can be purchased online at Brown Paper Tickets.

El Teatro will also have traditional and artistic altars on display at the Playhouse. The public can view the altars, for free, during these hours:

• Friday, 7:00 p.m. with Altar Blessing and Danza at 7:15 p.m.
• Saturday, 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
• Sunday, 1:00 p.m. with a closing Danza Blessing

As in past years, El Teatro will lead a Dia del los Muertos procession through the historic streets of San Juan Bautista. The parade will be held twice—6:00 p.m. on Saturday and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Final Free Fall Concert

This Saturday, October 24, 2015, will be the last concert of the Music in the Park series in Dunne Park on Seventh Street in Downtown Hollister. The concert will run from 4 to 6 p.m. Bring your own blankets or low-back chairs, as well as snacks and drinks. No alcoholic beverages are allowed in the park.

Performing from 4 to 5 p.m.  will be Folklorico Juvenil de Lucy Rodriguez, a dance troupe composed of girls and boys, ages 3 to 15. The dance group performs traditional folkloric dances from Mexico.

Closing out the concert will be The Flashbacks, which will perform from 5 to 6 p.m. The local group, with its smooth voices, is popular for singing 1950s doo-wop songs.

Music in the Park is a monthly concert sponsored by Mr. O's Academy of the Arts, which began this past August. The free concert series will return in Spring 2016. Thanks, Mr. O!

Delicious and Cool Stuff in Tres Pinos

I took this photo yesterday afternoon when the Husband and I went to pick up BBQ plates at the annual fundraiser that the Immaculate Conception parish in Tres Pinos held.

Talk about yummylicious! It was the parish's 77th year, I believe. And, the cooks, chefs, bakers, and assistants certainly gave the touch of love to their barbecue chicken, pasta (rigatoni with marinara sauce), wedge of lettuce with Thousand Islands dressing, garlic bread, and a piece of pie. My lunch came with a slice of cherry pie, the Husband's, apple pie, and the Mama's, apricot pie.

If you haven't gone to this fundraiser yet, try it next year. If you're from out of county, you can tie it in with some other splendid activity, such as skydiving, hiking at the Pinnacles, wandering around San Juan Bautista, checking out the Swank Farms corn maze, doing the wine trail, or simply pedaling or driving the back roads on a Sunday autumnal day. The last three years, this BBQ fundraiser took place the day after the San Benito Olive Festival. Hint, hint.

Speaking of Fall, notice the sprouts of green on the top of the hill on the right. Cool, huh?  These hills are across from the Immaculate Conception Church.  The photo was enhanced with Photoshop art filters, in case you're wondering.

See you tomorrow. Maybe with photos from the San Benito Olive Festival.

Our Own Foodie Festival

Gilroy has the Garlic Festival, Castroville, the Artichoke Festival, and Half Moon Bay, the Pumpkin Festival. 

And, in our backyard, is the San Benito Olive Festival! Whooo-hooo! It's this Saturday, October 17, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Bolado Park in Tres Pinos.

In its third year, this gourmet event celebrates the agricultural bounty and natural beauty of Hollister, San Juan Bautista, Tres Pinos, Aromas, and all that make up San Benito County. It features many of the award-winning olive oils, wines, and other artisanal foods made by farmers, growers, and food companies of San Benito County, as well as from other parts of California. 

All net proceeds earned by the San Benito Olive Festival, a non-profit organization, are donated to community and service organizations. One of the coolest things about the festival, in my book. 

The olive festival offers visitors samplings of olives, olive oils, Blenheim apricots, chocolates, and other foods. A variety of food trucks and restaurants shall be on hand, as well be various wineries and breweries. In addition, patrons can purchase a VIP admission ticket to access a wine and craft beer tasting area.

Scheduled are cooking demonstrations by culinary instructors and professional chefs, featuring dishes using, of course, olives and/or olive oil. Two of the guest chefs are Chef Dorothy McNett, popular culinary instructor of the Central Coast, and Executive Chef Cal Stamenov of the Bernardus Lodge and Spa in Carmel Valley.

Like every foodie event, festival-goers can peruse the merchants' booths for jewelry, fine art and crafts, green plants, packaged food, and other items.  This year, the olive festival offers hands-on activities for the young and old, including a morning and an afternoon paint party hosted by artist Paul Loughridge.

This gourmet celebration has a line-up of live entertainment for the whole day. It begins with the singing of the National Anthem by young singer Joe Fata, who recently competed on La Voz Kids, and ends with the ever popular Mr. O's Jazz Band. Also scheduled to perform are Change in the Weather, Shiloh, The Flashbacks, Folklorico Juvenil, Kaleb Askew, and Zack Freitas.

To learn more about the participants, schedule of festivities, and other information about the San Benito Olive Festival, go to its website or Facebook page.

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Fun at the County Fair

The San Benito County Fair was fun, fun, fun!

Here are a few photos from the Husband's and my day at the fair on Saturday.

The winning Great Pumpkin—771 pounds!

Sleeping cuties.

I love this gal's sophisticated color combination.

Food art by the Girl Scout Troop. 

A blue ribbon winner—well deserved.

"Cowboy boots & local roots was the theme of this year's fair.

Happy memories for these girls.

Pigs can fly!

One of the many amazing and beautiful quilts.

This is a cake!

One of several youth art exhibits featuring a Van Gough theme.

Until next year!

If you'd like to see more fair photos, check out my 2015 San Benito County Fair album at Facebook. You don't need to sign on or have an account to view it.

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Open House at the Luck Museum

This Saturday, October 10, 2015, the San Juan Bautista Historical Society will be holding an open house at the Carl Luck Memorial Park on the corner of Third and Monterey Streets in San Juan Bautista. The free event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Here's the schedule for the day.

The 2015 San Benito County Fair

Cowboy Boots and Local Roots! 

That's the theme of the 2015 San Benito County Fair, which is a four day affair this year. It starts this Thursday, October 1, and ends on Sunday, October 4. Thursday through Saturday, the fair's hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 7.p.m. The carnival opens at noon on all four days. 

10 Things I Look Forward to at this Year's County Fair

1. Viewing the beautiful crafted and creative quilts.

2. Visiting the goats, baaaaa, and chickens, bwak, bwak, bwak.

3. Looking at the art entries by students from the various elementary schools.

4. Checking out the agricultural displays. 

5. Listening to Mr. O's Jazz Band in the patio.

6. Riding the free shuttle bus to the fair.

7. Guessing how much the rock weighs at Graniterock's booth.

8. Eating!

9. Cheering on the All-Alaskan racing pigs. 

10. Wandering around the fair with the Husband, simply enjoying ourselves.

Admission to the Fair

Daily gate admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children, 6 to 12, and $7 for seniors (60 and older). Children who are five or younger get in for free.  On Thursday, gate entry for children, ages 12 and younger, is free. On Friday, admission for Seniors is $6. And, on Saturday, admission for all active and military people is free with military I.D. 

Parking is $5 per car.  San Benito County Express offers a free shuttle on all four days of the fair. The shuttle drops off passengers at the fair is front of the Pavilion. The shuttle begins running at 3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. on Saturday, and 12 noon on Sunday. Click here to see the schedule and bus stops. 

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See you tomorrow.

2015 Mexican Independence Day Parade

Last Sunday was the Mexican Independence Day Parade in Downtown Hollister. It was a fun, lively parade that honored the anniversary of Mexico's independence from Spain. The parade featured Mexican brass bands, caballeros, señoritas, traditional Aztec dancers, cute children, and more.  Here are a few photos from Sunday's parade.

If you would like to see more photos, check out my Facebook album. You don't need to log on or be a member to access it.

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