May Events In and Around Town

Lots of activities are happening in and around Hollister this month.  Take your pick and have a happy outing!

ONGOING EVENTS

Farmers Market
This Wednesday,  May 12, the Farmers Market is back in town. Fifth Street (between San Benito and Monterey streets) will be closed so that shoppers can wander from one vendor's table to the next.  Fresh organic vegetables and fruit, pasture-raised chickens, flowers, crafts, and prepared food will be available, many of which are locally grown or produced. The Farmers Market will be open every Wednesday, from 3 to 7 p.m., through September 29.  For more info, check out this page at the Hollister Downtown Association Web site.

Bingo!
Every Friday evening, Sacred Heart Church holds bingo games in the O'Reilly Hall (670 College Street). It starts at 6:30 p.m. You must be 18 years old to play. Bingo play are only allowed to play a maximum of $25.  Good policy, especially for me.

Bike Rides
Off the Chains Bike Shop sponsors bike rides in the area every Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m.  Check out the shop's Web site for details.

Used Book Sales
There may not be a bookstore in town or the county, but we can soothe our book-buying itch at the weekly book sale held by The Friends of the Library. Every Saturday morning, the group opens its shack behind the San Benito County Museum (Fifth and West) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Only two bucks for all the books you can fit into a paper sack. What a bargain!

ONE-OF-A-KIND and ANNUAL EVENTS

May 13: San Benito County Trade Show
The 15th annual local trade show and job fair will take place this Thursday, from 2 to 7 p.m., at the Veterans Memorial Building (San Benito and Seventh). This year's theme is "Building Business Again in 2010."  Admission is free. For more info, read "Annual Trade Show and Job Fair Approaches" from the Hollister Free Lance. 

May 14-15: As You Like It
The Theater Arts Department at Gavilan College will present Shakespeare's "As You Like It" this Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 while tickets for students and seniors are $6. For more info, click over to the department's web page.

May 15:  8th Annual Wine Passport
This Saturday, you can tour seven wineries in San Benito County for the cost of one passport ($25 per person). The passport also includes a complimentary glass of wine at each winery. The annual event is sponsored by The San Benito County Winegrowers Association. For more info, click over to its "Passport Weekend" web page.

May 15: Guerra Family Cellars Concert 
The Guerra Family Cellars will open its outdoor concert season with Shakedown, a classics rock and roll band. Tickets are $10 per person. To see the surroundings, check the winery's web site.   To learn more about the band, click over to its Web site.

May 21-23:  "Trial by Jury"
The San Benito Oriana Chorale will open its 25th season with a three-day performance of "Trial by Jury," a Gilbert and Sullivan opera.  The group will perform at the Hollister Methodist Church (5th and Monterey) on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and at the San Juan Oaks Golf Club on Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $5 for children, $10 for teenagers, and $15 for adults, which can be bought online or at local businesses. Tickets may be available at the door. For more info, head over to the group's Web site.

May 22: Dog Days of Hollister 
The Hollister Dog Owners Group will sponsor a fair for dogs and their owners and other human friends on May 22, starting at 10 a.m. It will take place on the lawn in front of the Briggs Building (San Benito and Fourth). There will be a doggie costume parade as well as prizes for the dog that has the best bark, has the waggiest tail, looks most like its owner, performs the funniest pet trick, and so on. For more info, click over to the Hollister Dog Owners Group Web site. 

May 22-23: The Great San Juan Bautista 2010 Rib Cookoff
Yum! BBQ ribs galore. Which one shall you taste, as you walk up and down Third Street in San Juan Bautista? In addition to eating ribs and more ribs, you can listen to live entertainment and buy or window shop at the various arts and crafts booths.  The event will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Here's a look at last year's Rib Cookoff:



May 23: First Annual Red Barn Run
When you say "red barn" in this area, most folks, like myself, think of the auction barn on highway 101. But that's not the case here. The red barn refers to the one on the Windhaven Ranch where this fundraising run for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will originate. This ranch is a few miles south of the City of San Juan Bautista. You can enter a 5K or 10K race, and walkers are welcome, according to the organizers.  For more information, go to the Red Barn Run Web site.

May 29-30: First Annual Hollister Airshow
Skydiving formation demo, non-aerobatic glider training demo, aerobatic competition maneuvers, and WWII fighter formation flybys are just a few of the performances scheduled to take place at the Hollister Airshow.  Tickets will be $5 per person, and parking will be $3 per car.  The Hollister Municipal Airport is a few miles north of downtown Hollister. For more info, check out the Hollister Airshow Web site.

A New Local Flea Market

Betabel Station Open Market

Pashmina/silk scarves for $8. Fashionable mini-purses for $10. A lowrider bicycle for $145.  A very old welder's mask, price unknown. Those are a few of the items that I interested me at the new flea market last Saturday.

Yep, folks, there's an honest-to-goodness flea market in town—Betabel Station Open Market. Well, it's not in in Hollister, nor is it on highway 25. The market is on Highway 101 and it is very easy to find. If you're heading south on Highway 101, go pass the 25 exit, and take the next exit, which is called Betabel Road. Heading north on the highway. It's the second exit after the one for San Juan Bautista. The market is right next to the RV Park and an apple orchard. It's a beautiful site.

Betabel Station Open Market will be open every weekend through October, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is free.  Entry is $2/per person on Saturdays, $3 on Sundays. Kids who are less than 3 feet tall get in for free.

Last Saturday was the market's grand opening. The market has a good set up on the grass. There's a section for kids to play, which includes pony rides and a house for kids to go crazy bouncy-bounce. Adults can pop into the market's open-air bar for a beer, which is an enclosed area away from the stalls. The food vendors—tacos, hot dogs, corn on a stick, among other foods—also had their own section.

It was a fair size crowd while the husband I were there. Maybe 40 vendors, more or less, selling fresh produce, packaged foods, clothing, accessories, tools, collectibles, and so on. One vendor buys gold, and she plans to be there through the month of May. According to the market's web site, it has the capacity to have more than 150 vendors. The husband and I plan on going back later in the summer to check out new vendors, especially folks who have personal stuff, such as that welder's mask, to sell.

For more details about the local flea market, check out the Betabel Station Outdoor Market Web site.

Sweet Saturday Night Jazz

Dinner and jazz. What a sweet combo, no? Especially if there is a slice of lemon cake in front of you, like the yummy type that is served at The Knife and Fork Cafe on San Benito Street.

Well guess what? You're in luck. This Saturday, May 1, 2010, a jazz combo will be playing during dinner (6:30 to 9 p.m.) at the restaurant.  Cool!

According to Luis Lenzi, the saxophonist,  the trio will play outside on the patio if the weather is good.  A spring evening listening to jazz while eating lemon cake, or other delicious food that the restaurant has to offer, sounds heavenly.

Here are some links to check out for more about the restaurant and Mr. Lenzi:

• The Knife and Fork Cafe (Note to All: I wrote this last year before the restaurant served dinner.)
• Luis Lenzi

Furthermore, for your pleasure, the sounds of Mr. Lenzi!

Free Week at the Pinnacles

April 17 to 25 is National Park Week. In honor of the week, the National Park Service has decreed that entrance to all national parks, include the Pinnacles National Monument, is free. So, if you can take advantage of the freebie, head on out.

The husband and I ventured over to the Pinnacles last month, entering via Highway 25, of course. The day was gorgeous! Wildflowers were popping. Ravens were calling to each other and condors were circling above us. I think I even heard the flutter of bat wings.

The Bear Gulch Cave was open and we did our best to scramble all the way up through it. Alas, we couldn't figure out the path at the stream so swerved to the left and out of the cave, and walked along an outside trail to get back in. We did climb up the stairway out of the cave to the reservoir. As always, it was well worth the effort to see the views.

The Bear Gulch Cave is home to a colony of bats. The park plans to close it in mid-May to safeguard the bats as the babies grow up. The caves will re-open sometime in July when the bats leave the cave. Check out the Pinnacles Web site for more particulars by clicking here.

Here are some other links to check out:

• National Park Week
• Images from the Condor Cam
• Pinnacles Partnership 
• Heading a Bit Further on 25 (some photos of the drive to the Pinnacles)

And, here are a few more photos for your pleasure.

Bear Gulch Reservoir

View off the Chalone Peak Trail

Rocky Scales

Do you see Dino the Dinosaur?

One of the Faces at the Pinnacles

Looking Back From Where I Came

San Benito Gold

"Are you a beekeeper?" the Honey Guy asked the husband, as we pulled up next to his truck.

The husband was wearing beige pants, white shirt, and a white cap with a neck drape. He sometimes gets mistaken for a beekeeper or someone in the French Foreign Legion. The husband is neither. He gladly explained to the actual beekeeper that he is very sun sensitive, hence the special get up. The Honey Guy nodded and then took a turn at happily answering our questions about San Benito Gold— honey produced from local bees.

The Honey Guy's name is Jim. He and his dad Leon are Hollister beekeepers who own the Bray Apiaries. Hurrah! I like shopping locally for my staples, and honey is definitely one of them.

San Benito Gold is definitely delish! Rich tasting and very smooth going down my pipes.

And, no, I was not paid to say that. I confess that we stopped by merely to find out how much the honey cost for future purchases. When I stepped out to take a photo of his products, he handed me a sample of his wares. Just like that. Sweet as a bee, the Honey Guy is. Nope, I wasn't paid to say that either.

The Bray Apiaries' stand is the back of the Honey Guy's truck. He parks it on Mitchell Road, off of Highway 156, a few miles west of downtown Hollister. (Local folks, you may know the spot as the intersection of Highway 156 and Union Road.) If you're heading west on Highway 156, turn right at the traffic lights, or left if you're going east. If you're on Union Road, just cross the highway to the opposite side.

You can find the Honey Guy at his spot on Sundays. Depending on his schedule, he may also show up on Thursday, Friday, and/or Saturday. I can't remember if he says he'll be at the Hollister Farmer's Market that begins in May. For more info, give him a call. (Just look up there on his sign in the photo.)

Some links you may enjoy checking out:

• "To Sneeze or Not to Sneeze" by Laurie Lemmerman-Castañeda (The Weekend Pinnacle). Leon Bray is interviewed about how he used honey to ease his allergy symptoms. 
• "It's Like a Bee Scene from a Movie" by Mark Paxton (The Weekend Pinnacle). Another interview with Mr. Bray.
• Hollister Farmers Market