Morning After a Sweet Rain

We had a wonderful rainy day yesterday. It gave us at least one great reflection in Downtown Hollister this morning.

Whoooooo

ARTspace, that's who. Okay, what, for all of you grammar experts who are shuddering right now. (grin)

ARTspace is the art gallery, 240 Fifth Street (east of San Benito Street), owned by the San Benito County Arts Council.  That's where you can find this cute white owl on display in the ARTspace window.

Starting this Saturday, November 28,  will be the 4th Annual Children's Art Exhibition, which will display art work by local schoolchildren. This year's theme is "The Art of Books!" The exhibit will run through December 12.

On Saturday, from 3 to 5 p.m., ARTspace will hold an open reception. For more information, check out the San Benito County Arts Council website or Facebook page.

2015 Lights On Celebration

Whooo-hooo! The Lights On Celebration in Downtown Hollister will be this Saturday, November 28, 2015. It'll an all-day event, beginning at 10 a.m. with the opening of the Holiday Boutique and the Holiday Car Display.  The Lights On Parade will start at 5:30 p.m.

For details of the day's activities, go to the Hollister Downtown Association website.

Slow Down!

It's starting to look quite festive in Downtown Hollister, despite the cars and trucks zooming down San Benito Street. Slow down, people.

Yesterday evening, for nearly an hour, the Husband and I watched the traffic on our main street. We were alarmed at how fast the vehicles traveled in both directions.  A downtown business owner told us it's like that even during the day. We've also heard that some people have had scary experiences crossing San Benito Street.

The City of Hollister has a plan to help slow down the traffic and make downtown be a pedestrian-friendly place. That would be also great for the shops and restaurants down there. Not to say for bringing future businesses to downtown. This traffic plan is ready to go, from what I understand. Hopefully the execution of it won't drag on too long. Otherwise, San Benito Street continues to be a drag strip.

A Very Striking Tree

Here is another handsome, and rather dramatic, tree that graces the front of the former Courthouse on Fifth Street.

See you tomorrow.

A Fifth Street Reflection

If you visit the San Benito County Free Library after a rain—or while it's raining—you know about the puddles alongside the curb in front of it. I have no problem with the puddles. I know how not to walk in them, as well as splash through them (Happy smile). One of the things I like about the puddles is seeing the reflections of the trees in them.

The weather guys say that it looks like rain this Sunday.

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.

More Rain, Please.

Here was the afternoon calm in Downtown Hollister after the steady showers we had on Monday. Right now, the weather guys are reporting a 50% chance of rain for tomorrow. Knock on wood.

It Finally Feels like Autumn

This past Monday not only brought us rain, but also, finally, the feel of Autumn. At least for me. The dry, colorful leaves scooting across the sidewalk and streets. The crisp, cool air. Brrr.

I love Autumn.

"Catch Me if You Can"

Catch Me if You Can, a Tony nominated Broadway musical, is now playing for the next two weekends at The Granada Theater in Downtown Hollister. It's presented by the San Benito Stage Company.

A very talented all-teen cast tells the story of real-life Frank Abagnale, Jr. in words, song, and dance. A con artist and check forger, Abagnale manages to stay two steps ahead of the FBI while impersonating a teacher, pilot, lawyer, or pediatrician. If the title and story sound familiar, then you probably saw the movie Catch Me if You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, upon which the musical is based. So, you also know that Abagnale became an FBI instructor and consultant, helping the law enforcement agency investigate fraud and scam crimes.

To learn more about the play, check out this article, "Preview: Catch Me if You Can: The Musical", written by Lois Locci at Benitolink.

Catch Me if You Can performances are:

Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7, at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 8, at 2:00 p.m.

Friday, November 13, and Saturday, November 14, at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are available at the door, as well as at Postal Graphics and San Benito Bene. Admission for adults is $15, and $12 for children, students, and senior citizens.                            

Johnnie's Girl

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a new shop in Downtown Hollister. It's called Johnnie's Girl! This cute boutique of nifty, fun handcrafted items is located at 535 San Benito Street, the once-upon-a-time location of Maddux Jewelry.

Johnnie's Girl is run by daughter-mother team, Sarah and Patty, whom some of you may already know. They've sold their gorgeous flower plates at local crafts fairs, through The Grove and San Juan Bakery, and at their place on Holliday Street.

Johnnie's Girl will have its grand opening on November 11, 2015. But, their doors are currently open for business. If I remember correctly, from Thursday through Saturday. For more details, visit its Facebook page.

Best of luck to you, Sarah and Patty!

Standing Guard. . .Kind Of.

What's with all these tree photos, you ask?

Beats me. I'm simply walking along and bam! A tree shows its uniqueness to me. And, we have quite an amazing lot in and around Hollister, thank goodness.

This tree—some kind of conifer, which I want to say is a Monterey Cypress—hangs out in front of the San Benito County Tax Collector's Office on Fifth Street.

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!

A Happy Palm Tree

Isn't that a gorgeous palm tree? It's huge, too. Quite huge. The Husband and I came across it as we were walking through Briggs Alley the other day. I like how it happily waves over the fences.

See you tomorrow.

See Dar Tree?

Okay, a bad pun. Seriously, have you ever noticed this very, very tall and beautiful cedar tree on Fifth Street?

Bertha Briggs (as in the Bertha Briggs Memorial Youth Center on Memorial Drive) planted the tree as a sapling in her front yard in the 1900s.  Sharlene of the San Benito County Historical Society said Mrs. Briggs brought the cedar sapling back from a trip to Lake Tahoe.

A Hollister native, Mrs. Briggs lived from April 3, 1874 to August 13, 1962. Her parents were Hollister pioneers William and Delia Johnson. Mrs. Briggs was known for her many wonderful community deeds, including donating generously to Hazel Hawkins Hospital and organizing the Girl Scouts and Women's Club in Hollister. You can read a bit more about Mrs. Bertha Briggs in the book Hollister by Joseph M. McMahon and Peter Sonne.

This is a Western Red Cedar tree, which is indigenous to Western North America. Experts say that this species can live over a thousand years old. Mrs. Briggs' tree is a baby. Wowza!

The Victorian "Pumpkin House"

This two-bedroom Victorian-style house on Fifth Street was built around 1900 for a young couple named L.H and Myrtle Barker, who were married the previous year.

The house is on the self-guided tour of historical houses in Hollister. It was recently on sale, and according to the property details, the Victorian was restored in 2003. It's known as the Pumpkin House because of its colors.

The Three R's

Recycle, repurpose, and reuse. This bicycle planter that the Husband and I saw on our walk in Downtown Hollister fits the bill. Trés cute, don't you think?

Some Three R's Resources 

• Recology San Benito County: Recycling
• Freecycle–Hollister Group
• DIY: Upcycle, Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse (on Pininterest)
• 30 Creative Ways to Repurpose and Reuse Old Stuff

TBT: The Original Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital

This Take 25 to Hollister post was originally published on August 11, 2009. 

Show of hands, Hollister folks: Who was born in this here building?

You. You. You. Me. You over there on the other side of the world. And a whole lot more.

This building stands at 910 Monterey Street. The corner of Monterey and Hawkins streets, to be exact. It’s the original Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, which was built and presented to the city of Hollister by Mr. Thomas S. Hawkins.

Mr. Hawkins was one of the city’s founders. His granddaughter, the Hazel Hawkins, the sweetie of his heart, died from appendicitis in 1902. She was only nine years old. According to the story I’ve heard, Mr. Hawkins felt she may have lived if there had been the proper medical facility in town. So, he built one for the community as a tribute to his “Little Sunshine.”

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital opened in November 1907 and served as the community hospital until the hospital district was formed in 1957. In 1962, the hospital moved into its modern digs on Sunset Drive. Today, Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital is part of the San Benito Health Care District which also includes skilled nursing facilities and a home health agency.

The old hospital building was used as a nursing home for many years. Then, somewhere along the line, it was turned it into an office building. And that's what it is today. The hair stylist who does my hair had her salon there for several years, which gave me a chance to prowl the corridors.

It’s a very beautiful building, as you can see. If you ever have a chance, pop in and take a glance of what’s inside. The left (or south) corridor especially. I'll just leave it at that. (Update: These ceiling decorations may have been taken down.)

By the way, does anyone know where the baby nursery used to be? The surgery? Just wondering.

Here are a couple of links to learn more about the hospital and the Hawkins family:

• Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital
• A Family History Behind Hazel Hawkins by Marty Cheek

Another View of Hollister

Yesterday afternoon while rocking out to the Moondance Band with friends in Dunne Park, I turned and saw this sight.  For a moment, I thought I was in a Swiss Alps village or some place like that.

That's the church on the corner of Monterey and Sixth street. The peak? Santa Ana Mountain.

See you tomorrow.

September Music in the Park

This afternoon is another Music in the Park concert in Dunne Park, at the corner of Seventh and West Streets. The free event, sponsored by Mr. O's Academy of Music, is from 4 to 6 p.m. Bring your own low-back chairs or blankets. Snacks, too. No alcohol is permitted in the park.

The Moondance Band, a 60s rock & roll band featuring Rich Haggett, performs from 4 to 5 p.m. Folklorico Juvenil,  a children’s mariachi dance group featuring Lucy Rodriguez, performs from 5 to 6 p.m.