The County Fair is Coming!

First things first. I gotta brag about my recent contest winning at Sew, Mama, Sew! I won a yard of free fabric in its recent Free Fabric Friday contest. So many wonderful choices. Thank you Sew, Mama, Sew!

If I had more time, I’d sew something with the fabric to enter in this year’s San Benito County Fair. Maybe next year. But I still plan on entering photographs. My quest is to be bestowed a ribbon. Blue, red, chartreuse.... I don’t care. I just want a ribbon.

The fair will be from Friday, October 2 to Sunday, October 4 at Bolado Park, which is several miles south of Hollister on Highway 25. You can't miss it.

The deadline for entries (crafts, baked goods, art, livestock, floriculture, and so forth) is Friday, August 28. You can download entry forms from the San Benito County Fair Web site. You can view the schedule of events at the Web site, too.

Want to read about last year’s county fair? Then clickity-click here.

Ring a Ding Ding for the Ding A Ling Cafe

Haven't had the time or inclination to venture out and write about things in and about town. Maybe things will get better once my current project is finally complete. The other day, though, the husband and I went off to do errands. As a treat, we decided to have breakfast at the Ding A Ling Cafe. You heard right...just like the sound of a bell. Ding-a-ling. Ding-a-ling. Ding-a-ling. Hmmm. I wonder if that's why it's called the Ding A Ling Cafe.

When I was a kid many hundreds of years ago, the Ding A Ling was on Fourth Street in downtown Hollister. I don't remember when it moved out to the airport. The Hollister Municipal Airport, that is. That's all the directions you need. The airport is a few miles north of town on San Felipe Road. You turn into the airport and voila there's the Ding a Ling on the western edge of the lawn.

I've never thought about the Ding A Ling being an airport diner, but I suppose it is. I like the food there. Portions are big, but you have the option to order mini-portions, which I think are half-portions.

That day I had a yearning for pancakes and an Italian sausage patty. The two pancakes filled up the plate, but they were very light so I wasn't stuffed at all when I ate them alllll up. The sausage was delish. The taste reminded me of grilled venison. The patty was a wide rectangle shape with one edge hanging over the small round dish. My husband happily helped me polish it off.

The cheery cute-as-a-button waitress asked if we wanted salsa. I'm glad we got it. Another delish treat to put on my pancakes. Just the right combo of tomatoes and heat to create a mellow bang for me.

Ding-a-Ling serves breakfast and lunch. You can sit indoors or outside. If you want to eat there at the beginning of the week, call to find out if it's open. A few years ago, I've driven over on a Tuesday or Wednesday (can't remember) to be disappointed 'cause it was closed.

Some links to check out:

• Yelp Reviews of the Ding A Ling.
• FAA Info for the Hollister Municipal Airport.
• For skydiver want-to-be's, the Adventure Center Skydiving, Inc. is kitty-corner from the Ding a Ling. I jumped out of a plane with them a couple years ago. Definitely a flying leap of fun!
• And, for you folks who would like an adventure in a glider, the Hollister Gliding Club is right next door.
  

Hollister's Own Abercrombie

The 2009 Miss San Benito Rodeo was crowned over the weekend. Drum roll please. . . . Hail Queen Alyssa Abercrombie!

Is she related to the A in A&F, the corporation that has a fit about Hollister businesspeople sporting their hometown name's on their merchandise? Don't know. Still, who doesn't like the irony of it all. Now, if only one of the other contestants had been a Fitch.

A Hearty Congrats to our new Miss San Benito Rodeo!! She will be reigning over the 76th Annual San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo on June 26 and 27 at Bolado Park.

She'll also be in the annual parade, which takes place on Thursday, June 25 through downtown Hollister. To see photos of last year's parade, please click here.

Pedaling Along Southside Road

I don't care what the calendar says. We are now in wonderful, wondrous summer! The hills around Hollister are now golden brown. The thistles are outstanding in the field, as are the bales of hay. What better thing to do on a summer day than to pedal around the backroads. Yep.

Yesterday, the husband and I wandered along Southside Road. Only a bit because we're bordering on out of shapeness. Again. The road parallels CA 25 between Hollister and Tres Pinos. By the end of summer we ought to be pedaling the full length of the zigs and zags, and ups and downs of Southside Road to Tres Pinos.

The photos are just a few of the sights we saw yesterday. Just click on the photos to get a full-size gander. And, yes, the sky was truly that blue.

Lots to Do In and About Hollister, California

It's gonna be a hopping town this week!

May 13: The Farmer’s Market
The farmers, food vendors, craftspersons, and others will be coming to town every Wednesday, from 3 pm to 7 pm, starting this week. Whoo-hooo! The Farmer's Market a whole new set up this year. The farmers will set up their booths on Fifth Street (between San Benito and Monterey streets), while the food vendors and nonprofit groups will be found in the parking lot behind the Vault as well as on the lawn beside it. Live entertainment is also being scheduled. To see a list of products that will be sold, check this link at the LocalHarvest Web site.

May 14: The Expo & Job Fair
The San Benito County Expo and Job Fair (also known as the San Benito County Trade Show) will be held this Thursday, from 2 pm to 7 pm at the Veterans Memorial Building in Hollister. This year’s theme is ECO-nomics, which highlights the growing green industry in the county. Click here for a story, published by the Hollister Free Lance, about last year’s event. For more info about the fair, contact the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce.


May 13-15: Wings of Freedom Tour
This week, living aviation history will be flying into the Hollister Municipal Airport. It will be one of the stops for the Wings of Freedom Tour, which is sponsored by the Collings Foundation. Featured on the tour are the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 Liberator, and the P-51 Mustang—all restored WWII aircraft. Walking tours cost $12 for adults and $6 for 12 and under.

Other Events this Week

• 5/16: 2009 Rattle & Roll Car and Motorcycle Show, Road Angels Car Club, Bolado Park

• 5/16-5/17: 7th Annual Passport Weekend, San Benito County Winegrower’s Association
  

• 5/16: Summer Outdoor Concert, “The Dizzy Burnett Jazz Trio & Shakedown, Guerra Farm Vineyard