March – May 2015 Annual Events in San Benito County

Who else wants to know when the annual events are happening in Hollister, San Juan Bautista, Aromas, and other places in San Benito County? Yup, me, too. Over the next few days, I'll post dates for upcoming events in 2015.  Today, check out what will be up in March, April and May. Click the following links to find out about events in other months:
•  June - July 2015
•  August - October 2015
•  November - December 2015

MARCH 2015

March 20: Champagne Tea and Treasure Fundraiser for the Women's Club and Friends of the Library 

March 28 - 29: Annual San Juan Spring Arts and Crafts Festival  

March 29: Top Hatters BBQ and Blessing of the Bikes 

APRIL 2015

April 3 - 5: 25th Annual Arts, Crafts and Music Festival at Casa de Fruta

April 11: Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

April 18: Hollister Downtown Association Plant Sale and Garden Expo 

April 18 - 19: Annual Cactus and Succulent Spring Show and Sale in San Juan Bautista, sponsored by the Monterey Bay Cactus & Succulent Society of America

April 25 - 26: Open Studios Art Tour throughout San Benito County

MAY 2015

May 2: Downtown Wine and Beer Stroll 

May 2 - 3: 31st Annual California Indian Market & Peace Pow Wow

May 6 - September 30: Certified Farmers' Market — every Wednesday, from 3 to 7:30 p.m., in Downtown Hollister

May 16 - 17:  Annual San Juan Bautista Rib Cook-Off

Stopping at Casa de Fruta

Casa de Fruta is a pit stop haven for drivers, including the men and women who operate those big rig trucks and trailers. Originally opened in 1908 as a fruit stand, Casa de Fruta is located on California Highway 152, several miles northeast of Hollister.

The fruit stand is still there, which sells fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts, dried fruits, jars of olives, bottles of hot sauce, pickled vegetables, and much, much more.  But, if you're hungry for a hot meal or a piece of pie,  head over to Casa de Restaurant. Just want to snack on candy and such, then try Casa de Sweets. Or, if you're not the designated driver, you might consider sampling Casa de Fruta's own wines at  Casa de Wine. The kids can have fun riding the Casa de Carousel and the Casa de Choo Choo, or pan for gold at the Casa de Sluice. If you need a place to rest your head, you can get a room at Casa de Fruta's Peacock Inn or a space at the RV Park.

The Casa de Fruta grounds is a good size, so you can get in a decent stretch if you walk from the fruit stand to the RV Park and back. And, if you walk by the trees on the east side of the choo-choo tracks, you can check out vintage tractors and other farm equipment. 

Oh, yeah, there is a gas station at Casa de Fruta, in which you'll find Casa de Burrito inside.

Today, I'm hooking up with The Weekend in Black and White. To see other B&W photos by bloggers around the world, please click here.

Local Book Authors of San Benito County

So, we turned back the clocks an hour today, which to me is another sign of huddling in for the cooler and, hopefully, rainy days and nights. And, that means cozy times for reading a good book. That said, ever wonder if we have any book authors in San Benito County?

Well, here you go: A list of fiction and non-fiction books written by some authors who live in our county. If you know of others, please leave a comment.

• These titles were penned by John Chadwell: Hunt of the Sea Wolves, Pershing -- The Soldiers' General, Major Crime Unit: Operation Casablanca, Werewolves of New Idria: Holly Warriors, Legends and Liars, and Last Sunrise. You can find a couple of his titles at San Benito Bene.
• The Book of Jones by Rob Campbell. This is an anthology of comic strips about an old-school biker named Jones. Check out Campbell's description of the dude here. The book is also available at San Benito Bene.
• Widows Peek and Ya Wanna Watch? I'll Let Ya! by Renette Torres. You can find these books at San Benito Bene, too.
• Miracles and Grace in an Unlikely Place by Charisse Tyson, who is also the owner of Johnny's Bar & Grill.
• Secure the Ranch, Read My Lipstick, Shaking in Her Flip-Flops, Beetles in the Boxcar, and Cuckoo Clock Caper are titles in the Josephine Stuart Mystery series by Joyce Oroz.
• Richard McDavid and Susan Echaore-McDavid have authored career titles, some of which are still in print, such as Career Opportunities in Forensic Science and Career Opportunities in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. Click here for more info. By the way, these authors are the Husband and me.

To put it nicely, Jones is a freeloadin’, cheatin’, lyin’, booze swillin’ scooter fiend of the old school variety.  There was a time when bikers of his kind made up a larger percentage of Harley riders, maybe minus some of the freeloadin’, cheatin’ and lyin’.  This ended somewhere in the eighties or nineties with the advent of the Rich Urban Biker, or Rubbie.  Jones is a holdout from pre-rub days. - See more at: http://www.cartoonthunder.net/landing/#sthash.3vIuAXbG.dpuf

To put it nicely, Jones is a freeloadin’, cheatin’, lyin’, booze swillin’ scooter fiend of the old school variety.  There was a time when bikers of his kind made up a larger percentage of Harley riders, maybe minus some of the freeloadin’, cheatin’ and lyin’.  This ended somewhere in the eighties or nineties with the advent of the Rich Urban Biker, or Rubbie.  Jones is a holdout from pre-rub days. - See more at: http://www.cartoonthunder.net/landing/#sthash.3vIuAXbG.dpuf

Swank Farms' Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch

Every October, Swank Farms opens its gates to the public for its annual Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch.  Located on San Felipe Road, just past the north end of the Hollister Airport, the annual event has something for everyone of all ages, from a huge jumping pillow for the tots to a petting corral, pedal karts, pumpkin toss, pig races, pick-your-own pumpkins, and more.

The piece de résistance is the Maniac Maze. Every year, Bonnie Swank designs a new amazing corn maze to challenge the young and old. This year, the theme is Alien Invasion, which goes along with Swank Farms' spooky haunted Terror in the Corn. The Maniac Maze is open during the day all this week until November 1. If you want to try the maze at night, it's open on Halloween night. It may be also open on Friday and Saturday. Given them a call to make sure -- 831-637-4704. 

Today, I'm linking up with Monday Mellow Yellows. To see other mellow yellow posts, please click here.

See the yellow-tipped spider at the right. Yowza!

To see the Swank Farms pick-your-own pumpkin patch,
click here and scroll down to the bottom of the post.

The pigs flashed by so quickly, my camera caught nothing but their dust.

Ornamental gourds. All grown by Swank Farms.

This sweetie is part of the Kiddy Corral.

More Rain, Please

It rained yesterday morning.  A light rain. But, enough to make the streets wet and to drive about with the windshield wipers on. Because we're in a drought, any amount of rain, however slight, is something for which to be grateful and happy.

Weather.com predicts a good chance of rain next Friday and Saturday. Think positively that it will pan out.

The Peafowl of Casa de Fruta

Peacocks and peahens wander aimlessly around the grounds of Casa de Fruta. I came across this peahen near the swimming pool of the Casa de Motel, also known as the Peacock Inn.

Seriously, these guys and gals are all over Casa de Fruta. They walk through the parking lots. They hang near the pond. They saunter around the exhibits of antique farm machinery. They even stop and watch the kids ride the Casa de Carousel and gaze at folks eating their lunch on the patio of  the Casa de Wine.

Yes, a visit to Casa de Fruta for me is not complete without an encounter with one of the peafowls. Now, if only one of the peacocks would've strutted about with his feathers in full display. Next time.

Today, I'm linking up with The Weekend in Black and White. Please click here to see other B&B white photos from around the world.

Pumpkins!

Yes, you can buy your pumpkins at the supermarket. Nothing wrong with that. But, if you want a bit more added fun, you might check out one of these local hot spots.

Tonascia Farms Pumpkin Patch

The Tonascia Farms Pumpkin Patch is in the parking lot on the west side of Airline Highway (aka Highway 25) just before you reach Bertuccio's Market–The Farm, near the corner of Union Road. Another reference point for you: Where Maverick's BBQ is set up on Friday afternoons. The pumpkin patch is self-pay. If you'd like to buy gourds, Indian corn, and decorative pumpkins, then head down to Bertuccio's Market.

Swank Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch

At Swank Farms, you can choose to pick your own pumpkins or buy them ready to go. While you're there, you might enjoy some of the other fun activities, besides the corn maze, they offer throughout October, such as the pumpkin sling shot, pedal cars, pig races, and the corn cannon. If you want a good fright, go at night and check out their Terror at Night, Alien Invasion.  Mwahahahahaha!

Pumpkin Junction at Casa de Fruta

Every October, Casa de Fruta, just a few miles northeast of Hollister, sets up its Pumpkin Junction with pumpkins of all sizes ready to go. Either before or after choosing your pumpkins, take the time to enjoy the various activities and shops that Casa de Fruta has to offer, including its infamous produce stand, Casa de Choo-choo, Casa de Carousel, wandering peacocks, antique farm machinery, and more. 

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 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.

The Second Annual San Benito Olive Festival

This Saturday, October 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., is the second annual San Benito Olive Festival, which celebrates the natural beauty and agricultural bounty of our county. I have no doubt that it will be another successful fun and joyful affair that will be attended by hundreds of people from near and far.

San Benito Olive Festival is both the gourmet event and the not-for-profit organization that plans, organizes, and brings the event together. The group's mission is to promote awareness and appreciation of the region's world-class culinary agriculture and premier artisans who make award-winning olive oils, wines, chocolates, Blenheim apricot products, and more. All net profits made from the event are donated to service, educational, and other community groups in San Benito County.

This year, the gourmet celebration is going to be at the gorgeous, historic Bolado Park, which is 8 miles south of Hollister. It's easy to find and reach on Highway 25, whether driving from the north or south.

There will be lots to eat, to drink, to purchase, and to enjoy at the festival. General admission tickets -- $20/adults and $10/children, ages 5-12 -- include the cost of entry to the festival, parking, cooking demonstrations, and entertainment. The $35 VIP ticket grants guests access to the wine tasting tent and five tastings of wine and craft beer from wineries in San Benito, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties. I'm a beer drinker myself, but I would be tempted to taste samples from places with such great names as Alicats Winery, Wild Eye Winery, Lightheart Cellars, and Graveyard Vineyards.

Six celebrity chefs are scheduled to conduct live cooking demonstrations of dishes using olives or olive oil. Starting off will be Chef Eric Carter, Director of the Culinary Arts at Cabrillo College in Aptos, at which the students run the popular Pino Alto Restaurant on campus. Following him will be Chef Dorothy McNett, the popular foodie legend of the California Central Coast, after which the chef duo Gene Sakahara and Sam Bozzo, also known as SakaBozzo, the twins separated at birth, from the Gilroy Garlic Festival will take the cooking stage. Next up will be Chef Mike Fisher, a Hollister native and local caterer who was trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and ending the day will be Chef David Boswell who is the Chef de Cuisine at Yahoo!

It's going to be a toss up for me -- watching the cooking demonstrations or listening to the live bands. I've heard three out of the four that will be performing Saturday, and just the music alone makes me realize what a bargain the festival tickets are for a great afternoon of fun. Festival guests will be hearing a range of music from jazz and big band by Mr. O's Jazz Band, doo-wop by The Flashbacks, and popular rock by Shiloh and The Retrospect.

I could go on and on about the San Benito Olive Festival, but I shall stop here. To learn more, check out the festival's website and read this article that the festival posted at BenitoLink.com.

Today, I shall be hanging out at Our World Tuesday. Come join me by clicking here.

Heading Up to the Clouds

Yesterday was a gorgeous day to hike the Anza Trail, a mile or so south of the City of San Juan Bautista. The trail, formally known as the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, is 1,200 miles long, stretching from Nogales, Arizona to the Carquinez Straits in Contra Costa, California.

The local segment of the trail used to be the Old Stage Road, on which once upon a time stage coaches ran between San Juan Bautista and Salinas. The first mile of the 4.5 trail is a rather steep climb that I wonder how often passengers had to get off the coach and walk.

Today, I'm hanging out at The Weekend in Black and White. Click here to see other black and white photos by bloggers around the world.

Gorgeous San Benito County Scenery

Practically everywhere you look in San Benito County is a gorgeous scene. This is looking towards the Gabilan Mountains from the lot near Bertuccio's, off Airline Highway (aka Highway 25).

Lone Tree Road

There's nothing like a morning bicycle ride on a country road.

I'm hooking up at Weekend in Black & White. Come check out other black and white photos with me by clicking here.

Limekiln Monorail

 

Limekiln Monorail
Built in 1894 by J.J. Burt to carry "diamond brand" lime from Harlan Mt. to the S.P. Railroad at Tres Pinos.

The track was a single wooden rail. The locomotive was wood fueled steam operated. On its maiden voyage, the engine exploded while taking on water from Pescadero Creek thus ending the operation forever.  

So states this E Clampus Vitus plaque that stands towards the southern end of Cienega Road, which was erected on April 21, 1979 by Monterey Viejo Chapter 1846. 

Doesn't the idea of a monorail at the turn of the 19th century running all the way from Tres Pinos to Cienega Road just astound you? It does me. 

J.J. Burt was the owner of the Cienega Lime Works, which makes sense for the name of Limekiln Road off Cienega Road.

The New York Railroad Men reprinted an article about the monorail in its October 1891 issue, Vol. 5, No. 1, page 722. It begins: 

A curious little railroad train goes crawling up and down the mountain from Tres Pinos to Burt's lime kiln in the Gavilan range, San Benito county, every day. It is probably the strangest railroad that ever was seen; yet, thus far, not a word has ever been printed regarding it. The train moves on a curious single track and is drawn by an engine set low on it.

If you'd like to continue reading the article, click here. For a relatively more current article, check out this piece by David B. Simons Jr., that's posted at The Monorail Society website.

The 2014 SBC Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo

After all these years, I finally went to the annual Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo. It was lots of fun. So many amazing riders and horses. Watching the kids gallop on their horses at lickety-split speed got me wanting to learn to ride a horse now.

If you'd like to see more of my photos of the rodeo, click here. The link will take you to my SBC Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo album on Facebook.

Want to know more about the horse show and rodeo? Check out its official website.

Here Comes the Parade!

Tomorrow evening (Thursday, June 26, 2014) at around 6:15 PM, the 81st San Benito County Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo begins with its annual parade down San Benito Street.

For details about the three-day event (Friday through Sunday), head over to the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo website.

A Hollister Hills Walk

The Husband and I finally checked out the nature area of the Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area. It's one of two places in the park where you can hike or ride mountain bikes without running into dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, and other off-road vehicles on the trail.

The nature area is a beautiful place. As we walked on the first bridge over Bird Creek, we thought how even more gorgeous the area must look in the Spring after a rain. A few feet from the bridge, we were greeted by quails, which rushed terrified into the bushes by us, humans.

The trails aren't marked so we guessed where we were from the map.  Reminder for next time: The area is not as big as it looks on the map. I say that because we came to the end of the trail, which had merged into a dirt road, sooner than we expected. But, then, the Husband thinks that was not the end of the trail shown on the map. Confused? Yeah, us, too.

We came upon a sign that stated

This Property is Owned 

by The University of Calif. Berkley 

Seismographic Stations

Sensitive Experiment in Progress

No Trespassing Please! 

Being law-abiding citizens, the Husband and I turned back.  I discovered later that the San Andreas Fault runs through the park. The Husband found out that we had not completely reached the farthest edge of the nature area.

As we were backtracking, we took what looked like a trail going up the hillside. A bit of zig and zag brought us up to another jeep road and to a sign that pointed us to locations that we thought we'd already been. Ha!

All in all, we enjoyed our meandering about in the Hollister Hills SRVA nature area. It just made me wish again there were more accessible hiking trails in Cienega Valley and other parts of San Benito County.

Coming Up: The 2014 San Benito Olive Festival

Save the Date, Folks: Saturday, October 11, 2014!

That's the day of the second annual San Benito Olive Festival, which will be held at the Bolado Park Fairgrounds. The festival's board members and planners invite food lovers, fans of hometown festivals, and outdoor enthusiasts locally as well as far and wide to celebrate the rich agricultural bounty and rural beauty of San Benito County. This gourmet celebration will feature many local olive oil producers, wineries, artisanal food makers, restaurants, artists, craftspeople,  community groups, and more.  

Early bird tickets are already on sale online at Eventbrite. Here's the page link for ticket information.

If you are interested in volunteering with the planning or becoming a vendor, query to team@sanbenitoolivefestival.com

For more information and updates about the San Benito Olive Festival, check out its website and Facebook page. And, if you'd like to see photos of last year's event, check out the photos stream at Facebook.

Open Studios Art Tour in San Benito County

Today is the second day of the Open Studios Art Tour. Artists in Hollister, Aromas, and San Juan Bautista invite one and all to visit them at their studios to view their works—paintings, prints, sculptures, jewelry, mosaics, and so on. It's from 10 AM to 4 PM. Head over to the San Benito Arts Council website for a map.

A friend and I visited several of the artists in Aromas yesterday. Wish I had thought to take photos earlier.

Everyday Rock and Roll

That sudden turn in the sidewalk and wall on 6th Street
in Hollister is due to the Calaveras Fault.

Last week (or was it this week?), we felt a couple of good grumbles in the earth, measuring in the low 3's on the Richter scale. That's nothing when you're used to it. Nerve-wracking, if you're not. But, it is to expected when you live in Hollister. . .or Tres Pinos. . .or San Juan Bautista. . . or anywhere in San Benito County.

Yup.  We have two major earthquake faults cutting through the county. The Calaveras Fault runs right through downtown Hollister, while the San Andreas Fault circumvents Hollister to the southeast and winds itself through San Juan Bautista just below the mission.

Earthquakes happen nearly everyday in our county. Mostly micro ones, which is good, as they release much needed tension. Just like burps.