Canning Fans!

So, how many of you identified the thing or place in Monday’s photo? Forgot what it looked like. Scroll down or click here, and then come back.

See. They are industrial fans at the cannery on the corner of East and Hawkins streets.


Once upon a time, there used to be two canneries—Fairview and Hollister—one on each side of South Street. I don’t recall which was where. For the longest time, these canneries made up the biggest non-farming industry in Hollister—for all of San Benito County for that matter. The majority of the jobs, like the farming ones, were seasonal.

Each cannery went through several owners, going from the original locals to different corporate canning companies. The Hollister cannery eventually became San Benito Foods, while Fairview became Tri-Valley Growers. In the 1990s, Tri-Valley Growers closed and San Benito Foods took over its buildings and machinery.

San Benito Foods cans different tomato products. In my ancient days, the two canneries also processed spinach, peaches, and apricots. Maybe other stuff, I don’t know.

I often wondered where the canned products were sold. I’ve never tasted them. I read at the San Benito Foods Web site that their canned tomatoes are famously delicious. I wonder where. Maybe if I’m ever there, I can buy a can and find out for myself just how awesome they taste, if they do.

Some links to check out:

• San Benito Foods
• Hollister Free Lance articles: here and here
  

What is This?

I’ll let you know in a couple of day. Maybe. In the mean while, for those of you who are familiar with Hollister, take a guess.

Now We Lay Ourselves Down to Rest

It was bound to happen. I would take a photograph or two of one of my favorite local haunts as a kid—the Calvary Cemetery.

We moved next to the cemetery when I was a fourth grader. We lived on El Camino Paraiso. The English translation: The Heavenly Road or The Road to Paradise. I always thought whoever named the street had a wonderful sense of humor. Or, he was just perverse.

Since my deceased sisters were buried in the cemetery, my family visited it often. As I got older, I found myself pedaling my bike through the cemetery on my own. Where else could I find peace and quiet to think? Today, the remains of my dad and a few other relatives and friends of the family are also there. So, I continue to pop over now and then. I no longer live next to the cemetery, but it’s still only a few minutes away.

San Benito County has several cemeteries. Not such a big deal until I consider that the population was about 18,000 when I was a teenager, many years ago. Currently the population is around 56,000. Only three cemeteries may actually be in use, but what do I know. If you want to know more about some of the other cemeteries in this county, check out these links. Those interested in genealogy will be happy to know that some of these web sites provide a listing or database of the deceased.

• Calvary Cemetery serves the local Catholic Church parishes in Hollister and Tres Pinos.
• I.O.O.F. Cemetery belongs to the Oddfellows Lodge. I understand that many of the old-time county movers and shakers are buried there.
• San Juan Bautista (or Larios) Cemetery is up on a hillside, just outside of the village.
  
• Mission Cemetery at San Juan Bautista Mission is said to have over 4,000 remains of local natives (like in Indians) and Europeans buried there.
• San Benito County Cemetery is described as being a potter's field.

• Cherry Hill Cemetery is between Paicines and Mercey Hot Springs.
  
• Pinehill Cemetery is way down in the southern part of the county, in the Bitterwater area.
• San Benito County Cemeteries, is a list by ePodunk.com, which also provides directions to the places.
  

The Fruited Plains Mural

The next time you’re wandering in downtown Hollister, stop by Browns Alley. It’s on the west side of San Benito Street, between Sixth and Seventh. Right across from the Veteran’s Memorial Building, if you need me to be exact. And if you need to have even more precise directions, click here for those coordinates.

There, in Browns Alley, on the side of the historical Grangers Union Building, you can view a truly awesome mural that celebrates the agricultural heritage of Hollister, San Benito County, and, for that matter, the whole state of California.


The mural was painted by students from the Gavilan College Art Department, under the direction of Muralist and Gavilan Art Instructor Arturo Rosette (also known as the artist r2row). It was completed this summer.

Because of the narrowness of the alley, it was difficult for me to get the full effect of the mural. The best view, I think, is from inside Knife and Fork, while sitting and sipping a cup of coffee.

There are several murals to view in Hollister. For another downtown mural, click here.

Progesso Tamale Parlor

The Progresso Tamale Parlor on Third Street is definitely a part of Hollister’s history. It has been around since 1939. For many old-time and once-upon-a-time locals, it is the restaurant to go to for Mexican food. For me, it was the first sit-down restaurant that I ever dined at. I was probably in sixth or seventh grade. My brother was taking my parents and me out—his first treat, of many.

Being a rather shy kid who stressed out when in public, I don’t remember much of that first restaurant outing, other than small tables, night fall, and lights that reminded me of Christmas (maybe it was around Christmas). Last Saturday, after a fun day at the county fair, Dick and I decided we’d eat at Progresso. All I can say is: What took me so long (over 40 years) to go back to eat there?

Right off, we got a basket of chips and salsa. My first chip was a flour one. Nice surprise. Never had that before. Several chips later, I came across a corn one. How cool to have both. The salsa had just the right amount of heat.

I ordered the chile relleno dinner, one of my standards for testing out new restaurants. The dinner came with rice, beans (refried or whole), and either salad or soup. The choice that night was cactus soup. Dick’s order was a combination of chile relleno, cheese enchilada, and beef taco. A lot of food, but he managed to polish all but a bit of rice.

The cactus soup was double yummy. The beef broth was rich and tasty with cactus bits in every spoonful. I’ll be sure to have that again. The refried beans were the kind I like. Thick and flavorable. They would be perfect to wrap in a tortilla and then deep-fry. I don’t normally like the rice that comes with a Mexican meal. It usually tastes bland and I think it shouldn’t because it’s red. Progresso's rice was yummy. To top it off, the cook had put a black olive on top of the rice. That made me feel warm and comforted. Black olives were treats when I was a kid, and my Auntie Virginia always put black olives in her tamales.

The chile relleno was mild, did not ooze of cheese, and tasted more of the egg batter than the chile itself. The dark sauce, my favorite part, reminded me of my Aunt Virginia’s cooking. The chile relleno was not one of the best ones I’ve ever eaten, but I would order it again if I’m in the mood for a chile relleno when I’m at Progresso.

Yup. I’ll be going there again, and I won’t wait another 40 years to do so. I have heard raves about their tamales for years. That’s next up to try.

Be sure to check out the Progresso web site. Along with seeing a menu and reading about its history, the owners posts recipes for tamales and other foods.

For another Hollister restaurant review, check out: Happy Cafe.

An Art Museum? A Vista Point? It's Both and More!

We have million-dollar art to check out for free in Hollister. Head over to the Briggs Building, which is near the corner of San Benito Street & Fourth Street. That’s the parking garage.

That’s right, I wrote parking garage. You can't miss it. It’s a four-story structure, the tallest one in town. It was built in the 1990s for about $6 million with RDA funds. At full capacity, it can hold about 140 vehicles, so I’ve read. I know, that’s a lot of taxpayers' pennies.


Few people use the parking garage. Maybe the building is just too beautiful to park in. Seriously, the building itself is a piece of art. If I didn’t know it was a parking lot, I would say it was a school (Gavilan College does hold classes on the first floor). Maybe a government building or a fancy department store. Maybe even an art museum, which brings me back to the topic of seeing some fine art there.

Start your tour by the stairway next to the elevator on the southeast corner of the building. First, admire the aesthetics of the stairway design.

Now, start walking up the stairs. Sure, you can take the elevator but there’s more joy in suddenly coming upon each piece of art as you gaspingly reach the top of a floor.

Pause at the top of each floor for your breath. Also, take note of the beauty of the art piece telling you what floor you’re on.

On the rooftop, I noticed a few more of these art pieces telling me I’m on the fourth floor. So I assume that’s the case on the other floors.

To tell you the truth, I no longer was interested in seeing and viewing man-made art when I came out on the rooftop. I was immediately astounded by the view of Hollister and the mountain ranges that surround it. The almost 360-degree view of Hollister is worth an occasional trip to the top of the roof of Hollister’s multi-million dollar parking garage.


There you go. A parking garage that's both a free fine arts museum and a vista point. Plus, you can park there.

Happy Birthday to Time!

I could be in my car, on my bicycle, or shuffling along on my own two feet. If I’m anywhere near Fourth and San Benito Street, I look up to see what time it is. I don’t really care to know what time it is. I just like gazing at our town’s mini dome that houses time.

That's right. Hollister has its own clock tower. Not as big as the one in the Back to the Future movies, but impressive to me nonetheless. The clock tower is part of the Masonic Temple Building. And, today that building (and clock) is 100 years old. Happy birthday, edifice-dude!

The thing that makes the clock run is 20 years older. Amazing, I say. A few years ago, someone repaired the mechanism so that the clock would tell time accurately. It was about 15 minutes off.

Some locals see the timepiece as a symbol. The clock tower is part of the city government's logo after all. With some of the financial problems that Hollister currently has, the time must still be off. I can't say for sure. I don’t carry a watch.

Pinnacles National Monument

My mom loves to visit the Pinnacles. It reminds her of the Philippines. I don’t know if it’s the starkness of the mountains, the smell of the air, the feel of the breeze, or the way the sun warms your body as you trample along the trails. She’s never said. I just know that besides her gardens, the Pinnacles National Monument provides her with a sense of calm.

The Pinnacles is about 30 miles south of Hollister. It generally takes us (hubby Dick and I) about 45 minutes, but that’s because we are old farts who like to rubberneck the scenery. Not to worry. The traffic is sparse, but you do need to pay attention to curves the nearer you get to the park. You head south out of town on Highway 25. Depending on the time of day, we may stop at Flapjack's Country Café in Tres Pinos for breakfast. That’ll be a story for another day.

According to the scientists, the Pinnacles is actually part of the Neenach Volcano that erupted waaaaay down south near Lancaster, California. The volcano was split by, yes, the San Andreas Fault. Over 23 million years, more or less, the Pinnacles was slowwwwwwwwly carried northwesterly to where it stands today. At the same time that it was inching up, wind and water carved out the spires and crags that someone in modern-day history decided to call the Pinnacles. Then President Theodore Roosevelt came along and established it as a national monument.

This year, the U.S. National Park Service celebrated the monument’s 100th anniversary. Since 1908, it has grown from 5,000 acres to approximately 26,000 acres. (Thank you ranchers and rancher descendents.) The park service is currently developing a general management plan for the next 15 to 20 years. Public input is appreciated. If you’re interested in being heard, you have until October 31, 2008.

You can do a lot of things at the Pinnacles. Depending on the time of year, you can scramble through talus caves, which are home to Townsend’s big-eared bats. But you can't go through 'em if the bats are there. You can bring your ropes and things and climb on the spires themselves. And of course you can hike easy paths and not-so-easy ones, which may make your hands sweat at certain HIGH points. If you’re lucky, you can see a California Condor or two circling above you. You can also hang out at a picnic table and enjoy the day, while the rest of your party are getting sweaty and tired.

There are actually two entrances to the Pinnacles National Monument. The west gate is off Highway 101, near Soledad. You can’t drive west to east through the park. But you can easily hike through it. Camping is on the Hollister side only.

Hmm, I think it's time to take out the hiking shoes.