R is for. . .

Rally. Motorcycle Rally. The Hollister Freedom Rally!

This year, thousands upon thousands bikers from all over the United States will trek to Hollister on the Fourth of July weekend to take part in the annual motorcycle rally that celebrates "The Birthplace of the American Biker". This event has been held officially, and unofficially, since 1997. The city of Hollister held the first rally to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a biker's incident that happened in Hollister over the Fourth of July weekend in 1947, upon which the movie The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando, was based.

I've written about the 1974 incident, as well as the history of the rally event, in an earlier post. If you're interested, check out this page.

This year's free motorcycle rally will be a three-day celebration, taking place on July 3, 4, and 5. In addition to lots and lots of bikes, there'll be live music, contests, and biker games throughout the event. A few of the major highlights are:

• The Touring Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall on display from July 3 to July 6 at Dunne Park
• Thunderbirds concert on July 3
• The Guess Who concert on July 4
• Sons of Anarchy stars Tommy Flanagan and Mark Boone, Jr. sign autographs on July 4
• July 4 Fireworks

For more details about the 2015 Hollister Freedom Rally, visit its official website.

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Q is for. . .

Running along this hillside is the San Andreas Fault. This is below Mission San Juan Bautista, about seven miles east of Hollister.

Quake quips.

What did the San Andreas Fault say to the Calaveras Fault?

Answer: "What's shaking?"

Hollister is smack in the middle of earthquake country. It sits on and near two active faults that do their shaking thing nearly every day. Someone told me that we have earthquakes every day, but most are so slight you can't feel them. I don't get concerned until the house starts rocking or I see the trees rolling during an earthquake wave.

The infamous San Andreas Fault runs about nine miles southwest of the Hollister. Geologists say you can see evidence of it as you head up Cienega Road to the wineries and Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area. This fault also runs behind Mission San Juan Bautista, about seven miles west of Hollister.

The Calaveras Fault, a major branch of the San Andreas Fault, starts somewhere south of Hollister and actually runs through town. You can especially see it at Dunne Park between Sixth and Seventh Streets.

This bend was caused by the Calaveras Fault.
It's on Sixth Street across from Dunne Park.

If you want to learn more about the San Andreas and Calaveras Faults, check out these links:

• The Calaveras and San Andreas Faults in and Around Hollister by Deborah R. Harden, Heidi Stenner, and Imogene Blatz
• Geology Cafe.com: San Andreas Fault in the Cienega Valley, Wine Tour Route in San Benito County
• Geology Cafe.com: Calaveras Fault in Hollister, California

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A Different View of Downtown Hollister

Just when I think I've photographed everything under the sun in downtown Hollister, I see this view. Don't you think that if the banner wasn't there, the photo could be of somewhere in Southern California? 

By the way, that's the tower of the Porter House on Monterey and Sixth Streets.

P is for. . .

Parades!

Sometimes I wonder if Hollister may have the most parades of any small city in the United States. Not complaining, mind you. It's just amazing how many cool parades we have throughout the year. And, most of them go through Downtown Hollister.

Portuguese Festival Parade

Coming: Saturday, June 6, 2015

San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo Parade

Coming: Thursday, June 25, 2015

Fourth of July Kiddie Parade

Coming: Saturday, July 4, 2015

Mexican Independence Day Parade

Coming: Sunday, September 13, 2015

San Benito High School Homecoming Parade

Coming: Friday, October 23, 2015

Veterans Day Parade

Coming: Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Lights On Celebration Parade

Coming: Saturday, November 28, 2015

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O is for. . .

Olives. . .Olive oil. . . olive festival. . .the San Benito Olive Festival!

I never thought of Hollister as being in the middle of olive country. Probably to some we don't have a humongous amount of olive trees, but the number is surely growing. I'd be walking along and suddenly notice, "That's an olive tree." It may be one tree planted in front of a house, several trees clustered together, such as in the public parking lot behind Wells Fargo Bank, or an olive grove, such as the one at the start of the road to the San Juan Oaks Golf Club.

Brigantino's olive grove overlooks San Juan Valley.

Local historians say that the first olive trees were planted in the 18th century by the Spanish padres around Mission San Juan Bautista. (That's about seven miles west of Hollister.) The mission padres turned the crop into olive oil for their private use. I guess it would be a long wait in those days for olive oil to reach them from the Old World.

The Mission San Juan Bautista olive grove where the annual
Old Mission San Juan Bautista Fiesta takes place.

Today, we have several local olive growers in San Benito County who produce award winning olive oils.

• Brigantino Olive Oil
• Guerra Vineyards and Groves
• Oils of Paicines 
• Pietra Santa Winery  
• Sharobed Grove
• Sons-of-Sicily
• Suncoast Organic Farm

San Benito Olive Festival

In 2013, a group of local community leaders, businesses, and volunteers organized the first San Benito Olive Festival to celebrate the agricultural bounty, artisanal food producers, and natural beauty of our area.

One Saturday in October, the event brings together amazing olive oil makers, food crafters, celebrity chefs, artists, musicians, restaurants, and others from the local area as well as from other parts of California.

This year, the San Benito Olive Festival will be October 17, 2015. The venue to be announced soon. Save the Date!

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