February Events in and around Hollister

February is the American Heart Month. So, to help raise awareness of heart disease, the Hollister Downtown Association, the YMCA, and Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital have put together various special events throughout Hollister for the month. Those events will be listed in red below.

WEEKLY EVENTS
Tuesday afternoons: Healthy Hearts, Storytime with Miss Carole, San Benito County Free Library, 4 to 5 p.m.

Wednesday afternoons: Walk for Your Health, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Starts at Veterans Memorial Plaza. Cancelled, if it's raining.

Thursdays: Blood Pressure Check-up, sponsored by Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, at Penny Wise Drug (549 San Benito Street), 11:30 to 1 p.m. Free.

Thursday evenings: Walk for Your Health,  5:15 to 6 p.m. Starts at Veterans Memorial Plaza. Cancelled, if it's raining.

Friday evenings: Bingo, Sacred Heart Church, Hollister. It starts 6:30 p.m. at the O'Reilly Hall (670 College Street).  You must be 18 years old to play.

Saturday mornings: 

Bike Ride with Off the Chain Bikes, 8 to 11 a.m. 

Book Sale, Friends of the Library,  Hollister. From  9 a.m. to 12 p.m., behind the San Benito County Free Library, 5th and West Streets.

Saturday and Sunday afternoons: Wapple House Museum, Fifth and West Streets, open from 1 to 3 p.m. Free admission.

Sundays: Flea Market, Betabel Station and Outdoor Market, 9644 Betabel Road, San Juan Bautista. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For info, check its Facebook page.

ONGOING EVENTS
February 11:  Pedro Card Party, San Juan Bautista. Sponsored by the Native Daughters of the Golden West, it will be held at 203 Fourth Street from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Beginners are welcome.

February 12: San Juan Bautista Gallery Walk, San Juan Bautista, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

February 14: Research Room Open, Wapple House Museum. Fifth and West Streets, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

ONE-OF-A-KIND EVENTS
February 3: Laughter is Good for the Heart, presented by Robin Pollard, Mars Hill Coffeehouse (610 San Benito Street), 12 to 12:30 p.m. Free.

February 4: Fashion Show, The Knife and Fork Cafe, 12 to 1 p.m.  Free (with paid lunch).

February 5

Living History Day, San Juan Bautista State Historic Park, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children who are 16 or younger.

An Evening in Tuscany, Bolado Park Pavilion. A dinner/dance fundraiser for Sacred Heart Parish School. 5 p.m. to midnight. Must be 21 years old. For info, call 637-4157.

February 10: Chinese Love Character, a craft project by Miss Kayoka, San Benito County Free Library, 4 to 5 p.m. Free.

February 11

Haybaler Alumni Social, The Vault (425 Fifth Street), Hollister. 6 p.m. to midnight. Must be at least 21 years. 

Open Mic Night, Blak Sage Gallery (727 San Benito Street), Hollister. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Free. 

The Foreigner, Dinner Theater at the Vault (425 Fifth Street), presented by the San Benito Stage Company. 7 p.m. Cost is $30, which includes dinner and show. Must purchase tickets in advance at Postal Graphics (by Nob Hill).

Febuary 12

CPR Classes for the General Public, American Red Cross, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost is $70. For more info, call 636-2100. 

The Foreigner, Dinner Theater at the Vault (425 Fifth Street), presented by the San Benito Stage Company. 7 p.m. Cost is $30, includes dinner and show. Must purchase tickets in advance at Postal Graphics (by Nob Hill). 

The Vagina Monologues, Gavilan College Theatre, Gilroy, 8 p.m. Adults, $15; students and seniors, $10. Proceeds benefit the Emmaus House (Hollister) and Community Solutions.

February 13

Community Volunteer Fair, Sacred Heart School Gymnasium (670 College Street) Hollister. Noon to 4 p.m. Free. 

The Foreigner, Dinner Theater at the Vault (425 Fifth Street), presented by the San Benito Stage Company. 2 p.m. Cost is $30, includes dinner and show. Must purchase tickets in advance at Postal Graphics (by Nob Hill).

February 15: Have a Healthy Heart at Any Age, featuring Dr. Clapper, Cardiologist, YMCA of San Benito County (351 Tres Pinos Road), 7 p.m. Free.

February 16: Making Sense of Retirement, YMCA. 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Free (includes lunch), reservations required.  For more info, call 634-0694.

February 18: The Foreigner, Dinner Theater at the Vault (425 Fifth Street), presented by the San Benito Stage Company. 7 p.m. Cost is $30, includes dinner and show. Must purchase tickets in advance at Postal Graphics (by Nob Hill).

February 19

Historic Walking Tour, San Benito Historical Society, 9 a.m. Cost is $5. Reservations required. For more info, call 524-2292. 

The Foreigner, Dinner Theater at the Vault (425 Fifth Street), presented by the San Benito Stage Company. 7 p.m. Cost is $30, includes dinner and show. Must purchase tickets in advance at Postal Graphics (by Nob Hill).

February 20: The Foreigner, Dinner Theater at the Vault (425 Fifth Street), presented by the San Benito Stage Company. 2 p.m. Cost is $30, includes dinner and show. Must purchase ticket in advance at Postal Graphics (by Nob Hill).

February 24: Red Healthy Hearts, a craft project by Miss Rose. San Benito County Free Library, 4 to 5 p.m. Free.

February 25: The Foreigner, Dinner Theater at the Vault (425 Fifth Street), presented by the San Benito Stage Company. 7 p.m. Cost is $30, includes dinner and show. Must purchase tickets in advance at Postal Graphics (by Nob Hill).

February 26

CPR Classes for Professionals, American Red Cross, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost is $70. For more info, call 636-2100. 

Marian Filice Piano Competition and Music Festival, Gavilan College Theatre, Gilroy. Competition at 10 a.m. and Music Festival at 3 p.m.  Free. 

Mardi Gras Dinner Dance and Silent Auction, San Juan Oaks. A fundraiser for the Community Food Bank. 6 to 11 p.m. 

The Foreigner, Dinner Theater at the Vault (425 Fifth Street), presented by the San Benito Stage Company. 7 p.m. Cost is $30, includes dinner and show. Must purchase tickets in advance at Postal Graphics (by Nob Hill).

Cutting Across the Field

There's nothing liking than taking a shortcut across a wet field. This is near the intersection of East Park Street and Highway 25. I saw mustard plants sprouting through the grass. Shouldn't be too long before yellow flowers will be blooming here.

Take 25 is participating in ABC Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt and her friends. Today is the letter C. To check out other posts, please click here.

Veterans Memorial Building

The Veterans Memorial Building stands on San Benito and Seventh Streets.  How has that building figured in your life so far? Here are at least three for me:

• Long ago, I used to donate to the Red Cross blood drives that were held there.
• I have attended the annual Christmas balls hosted by the Filipino American Community of San Benito County.
• The husband and I have listened to the Christmas concerts given by the Watsonville Band.

It's the Wrong Way

Who or what went the wrong way? A bird? A flying squirrel?  A remote plane? A person's head?

Two Novels Featuring Hollister

The Octopus and There's Something in a Sunday are two novels that are connected to Hollister in some way.  Does anyone know of another fictional work that has part or all of its story based in our area?

The Octopus: A California Story by Frank Norris was the first title in his planned trilogy, The Epic of Wheat. Unfortunately, Norris died in 1902, a year after The Octopus was published. The story is about the conflict between California wheat growers and a railroad company. Norris based The Octopus on the events of a tragic dispute that took place between Hanford, California settlers and the Southern Pacific railroad in 1880.

Norris conducted research for his story in Hollister. One of the places in his fictional place was the Quien Sabe Rancho. For more about Norris, check out this 2006 article by Martin Cheek in the Gilroy Dispatch. 

There's Something in a Sunday, published in 1989, is part of the Sharon McCone series written by Marcia Muller, a thrilling storyteller. Sharon McCone is a private detective who works out of San Francisco. In this adventure, Sharon's case takes her to Hollister to investigate clues.

Unlike Norris' novel, Muller actually mentions Hollister and describes locations that many of you may recognize.