Not the Same

Methinks it's time again to say that Hollister, California, the store, is not the same as Hollister, California, the city.

Yup.

Abercrombie & Fitch began selling apparel with the Hollister brand in 2000, which is weaved around the fictional beach town of Hollister in Southern California where the made-up Hollister Company is located. Either the fantasy town or company was established in 1922 by an imaginary  Dutch East Indies immigrant named John Hollister. The marketing team must've had fun dreaming up the fanciful, fake Hollister, California story.

The real city of Hollister is located in San Benito County, the only landlocked county of the Central Coast region of California, which is about 45 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. The ocean breeze, as well as the fog, comes through the low mountain passes on most days. Thank goodness for that, otherwise the temperatures, especially in the summer, would be unbearably hot.

Hollister was founded in 1868 and, until it incorporated as a city in 1872, the town was part of Monterey County. Two years later, Hollister became the county seat of the newly formed San Benito County.

The main industry in our county is agriculture. It has been from the start and unless all the ranchers and farmers sell their land to housing developers and oil companies, we shall always be an agricultural community. Something for which we, locals, ought to be proud. The number of local farmers and ranchers choosing to follow sustainable and organic farming practices continues to increase, which I think is good for both our health and the environment.

The mascot for our local high school is the Haybaler, also called Baler. Not a machine, but a young farmer. Everyone who goes--and went--to San Benito High School, also known as Hollister High School, is a Haybaler, regardless of whether the person played a sport or not. Once a Haybaler, always a Haybaler.

I don't know about the history of the mascot, but in the late 19th century, our area was known for the quality and quantity of its Hollister Hay. During the summer of 1892, for example, 5,412 tons of hay was shipped from Hollister to Seattle, San Diego, Chicago, New York, and other parts of the United States.  In fact, the Lathrop Hay Company, owned by Hollister pioneer resident Levi B. Lathrop, constructed some of the largest hay warehouses in the world back then. Lathrop built the first hay warehouse to have a railroad track running through it and to have railroad track scales. That's rather impressive.

Hey! How did I end up talking about hay?

Today is Mrs. Denise Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday. I'll be checking out posts featuring the letter N. Come join me by clicking here.

A Downtown View of Santa Ana Mountain

Here's another cool view of Santa Ana Mountain from Third Street in historical downtown Hollister. The mountain looks nearer than it really is. Though I suppose it actually is since the road near the base of the peak is about 9 miles away.

County Courthouse Dedication

Last Friday afternoon (October 10), the California Superior Court of San Benito County held a public dedication  of its new building on Fourth Street. The beautiful state-of-the art two-story courthouse was built on the original site of the home of William Welles Hollister, for which the city of Hollister was named.

Cutting the building dedication ribbon, on the right, were 
Hon. Harry Tobias (Judge of the Superior Court of San Benito) and
Hon. Steven Sanders (Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of San Benito).
Holding the ribbon, to the right of Judge Tobias, was U.S. Rep. Sam Farr.

Officials speaking at the ceremony reflected the collaborative effort at all three levels of government to ensure the much needed new courthouse was built. U.S. Representative Sam Farr, State Senator Anthony Canella, State Representative Luis Alejo, San Benito County Board of Supervisors Chair Jerry Muenzer, and Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez all gave brief speeches. California Supreme Court Chief of Justice Toni Cantil-Sakauye was represented by Judge Brian McCabe, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of Merced County.

For past posts about the our new courthouse, check out these links:

• The New Courthouse
• Opening Soon: The New Courthouse
• Past and Present: San Benito County Superior Court
• Lovely Landscaping

A Fun Day at the San Benito Olive Festival

The fog burned off just in time yesterday to make it a gorgeous day for the San Benito Olive Festival. The organizers created a beautiful setting at Bolado Park for the gourmet event that celebrates the rich culinary agriculture of our region.

The Husband and I had a fun day sampling artisanal olive oils, chocolates, Blenheim apricot jams, Chipolte tortillas, and more. And of, course to taste olives stuffed in garlic, bleu cheese, habanero peppers, and what have you.

It was fun watching the live cooking demonstrations from celebrity chefs such as Mike Fisher, Sakabozzo, and Dorothy McNett. And, to sit under the trees to eat delicious food and drink regional wines and handcraft beer.

Lots of good music from local musicians, including Zachary Freitas, Shiloh, The Flashbacks, Retrospect, and Mr. O's Jazz Band. It was fun to sit and listen to them, as well as to get up and dance.

And, what's a festival without wandering around and checking out the merchants and other non-food booths. One of my favorite booths was the collection of cartoons featuring olives, including Dagwood, Emmy Lou, Beetle Bailey, and the Lockhorns.

 All in all a great day of hanging out with friends, bumping into more friends, and meeting new people from far and near.

A Beautiful Day for a Lot of Something

Hooking up with Skywatch Friday

Today is going to be hopping around San Benito County.  These are just a few of the events:

The Red Ribbon 5K is going on right now in Historical Downtown Hollister. Participants are running a 3.1 mile in the shape of an H.  Post-run festivities continue until 12:30 p.m.

The Cole Canyon Farm , a certified organic nursery in Aromas, is holding an Open Greenhouse Sale to the public, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's located at 1495 Cole Road. 

The San Juan Bautista Historical Society is holding an open house from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Carl M. Luck Memorial Park in San Juan Bautista. The celebration includes a presentation of the Digital San Juan Bautista Project (hundreds of old photos of the City and its residents), used book sale, silent auction, and BBQ, among other activities. This is a free event, open to the public.

The Second Annual San Benito Olive Festival, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m, at Bolado Park in Tres Pinos, about 8 miles south of Hollister on Highway 25. The gourmet celebration features several celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, live bands, restaurant fare, artisanal food sampling, wine and craft beer tasting, and much, much more.  Tickets are still available at the gate.

Drum Reflection

The drummer is part of Mr. O's Jazz Band, a popular ensemble composed of adults and youth. The group plays at many of the local events such as last week's San Benito County Fair and tomorrow's San Benito Olive Festival.

The band is lead by Mr. Joe Ostensen who taught music and band classes in the Hollister middle schools for several decades. When he retired a few years ago, he and his wife Frances started Mr. O's Academy of the Arts. The Ostensens contine to be the strongest supporters of music in the Hollister elementary and middle schools.

Today, I'm hanging out at Weekend Reflections. Come join me by clicking here.

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Register to Vote!

Are you qualified to vote, but haven't registered yet?

To qualify in California, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old on Election Day, and a resident of California.  You may not be qualified if you have a felony criminal conviction or currently in a correctional facility, or if a court says you are mentally incompetent.

You'll need to re-register to vote if you moved or changed your name since the last election. Should you want to change your political party, you'll need to re-register, too.

You can register to vote up to 15 days before an election. Our next election is Tuesday, November 4. That means the last day for registration is October 20, 2014.

Three Ways to Register to Vote

You can register in person. In San Benito County, go to the Registrar of Voters office located at 440 Fifth Street, Room 206. That's the second floor of the old courthouse.

Your can register by mail. Pick up a voter registration application at the public library, U.S. post office, Department of Motor Vehicle office, or  San Benito County Registrar of Voters office.

You can register online at the California Online Voter Registration website.

There are no excuses. Go out and vote!