29th Annual Street Festival, Car Show, Swap Meet, and Chili Cookoff!

Here's how late I can be: I finally "processed" some of my photos from last year's street festival. Ha! Just in time, too. This Saturday, July 18, is the 29th Annual Street Festival, Car Show, and Swap Meet in Downtown Hollister. New this year is a Chili Cookoff. 

The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on San Benito Street, between Fourth and South Streets. Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Streets will also be closed between Monterey and East Streets. 

Lots of old, older, and even older cars to see. Also, live music and entertainment to enjoy on two stages. Be sure to stop at the Hollister Downtown Association's booth for a free slice of watermelon.

The Hollister Downtown Association sponsors the event each year. Thank you, Brenda and team!

Here are a few more photos from the 2014 festival and car show. Maybe this year, I'll get Saturday's photos up sooner. Have fun at the festival!

Vintage Cars

Every now and then I see a pretty nifty old car or truck parked or going down a street in Hollister. If I could have one, I'd like a 1950s Ford pick-up truck, because my dad once owned one and I enjoyed hanging out in the back as he drove along. Yup, those were the days.

If you're into old cars, check out the Hollister Airshow this weekend, where there will be a vintage car display. And, on July 18, 2015 is the annual Hollister Street Festival, Car Show & Swap Meet.

F is for . . .

Festivals, fairs, and fiestas! Olé!

Come summer and fall, we can look forward to the various festivals, fairs, and fiestas that take place in Hollister and other parts of our county. These are just a few of the big ones. 

Annual Old Mission San Juan Bautista Fiesta

About seven miles to the west of Hollister is San Juan Bautista, named after Mission San Juan Bautista, which was established in 1797. For many decades, the mission city has held an annual fiesta to celebrate St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the Old Mission. This year, the event will take place on Sunday, June 28. Admission is free.

The celebration starts with a procession from the mission through the city and back up to the olive grove next to the mission. For more details, check out this link.

Annual Downtown Hollister Street Festival, Car Show, and Swap Meet

On July 18, 2015, San Benito Street and the side streets, between Fourth and South Streets, close  for the 29th annual Downtown Hollister  Street Festival, Car Show, and Swap Meet.  The free event is sponsored by the Downtown Hollister Association. For more details about the free event, check out this link.

San Benito County Fair

Cowboy Boots & Local Roots is the theme of this year's San Benito County Fair at Bolado Park, about eight miles south of Hollister. Livestock exhibits. Live music. Flower, food, art, and quilt competitions. Business and nonprofit group displays. Carnival rides. Truck pulls. And much more. If you've never experienced an old-fashioned county fair, ours is the one to check out.

This year, the fair will be four days long, from Thursday, October 1 to Sunday, October 4, 2015. For more information, visit the fair's website.

San Benito Olive Festival

The third annual San Benito Olive Festival will take place on October 17, 2015. The location to be announced soon. This foodie fair celebrates the agricultural heritage and bounty, as well as the artisanal foodmakers, in our area. Some of the products from here are olive oils, chocolates, wines, Blenheim apricots,  cherries, lettuce, asparagus, greens, free-range chickens and eggs, free-range grass-fed beef, and more.

The San Benito Olive Festival, a nonprofit group, donates all of its net proceeds from the annual event back to other nonprofit groups in the community. For more details, visit its website.

Click here to find other A to Z challenge participants.

June – July 2015 Annual Events in San Benito County

Here are some annual events taking place in June and July of this year in San Benito County. Click the following links to find out about events in other months.

• March - May 2015
• August - October 2015
• November - December 2015

JUNE  2015

June 20 and 21: Hollister Airshow  

June 20 - 21: Annual Early Days at San Juan Bautista State Park 

June 6 - 28: San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo is a month-long event. Some events are free.

• June 6: Miss Rodeo Contest 
• June 20: Memorial Ranch Rodeo
• June 21: Roping competition 
• June 25: Saddle Horse Parade and Fiesta in Downtown Hollister
• June 26–28: San Benito County Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo 

June 28: Old Mission San Juan Bautista Fiesta  Update: The fiesta for the public has been cancelled. But, the parish will still hold a parish gathering in the grove.

JULY 2015

July 3 - 5: Hollister Freedom Rally 

July 4: Fourth of July Kiddie Parade  

July 11: 19th Annual Indian Canyon Storytelling and Indigenous Gathering 

July 18: 29th Annual Street Festival, Car Show and Swap 

On Display at the Car Show

I get a kick out of the things that folks display inside their automobiles at car shows. Did you happen to see this snake and these figurines at the Hollister Street Festival & Car Show last Saturday?

The Cobra

The Cool Dudes

Budding Puppeteers

The puppet booth at the Hollister Street Festival and Car Show last Saturday was hopping with cute furry animals.