Hollister, California is a real town that has been around since the 1870s. Unlike the fictional town created by a corporate clothing company, Hollister is no where near a beach. The town is about 45 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. Seagulls occasionally make their way over the mountains. Hopefully, they are able to find their way back.
Every year, the Portuguese American community in Hollister holds a festival on pentacost Sunday to celebrate the life of Queen Isabella, who was said to have helped the poor against the wishes of her husband. The annual celebration is a two-day event. On Saturday night, the community holds a dance and crown the queen and princesses of the festival. Sunday morning is the parade and feast.
After 50+ years, I finally saw my first Portuguese Festival Parade. Festival queens and princesses from surrounding communities also joined in with Hollister's own. The parade marched up 7th Street to Monterey Street to 5th Street and then down to Sacred Heart Church.
The Festival Queen and her Court of Hollister
To learn more about the local Portuguese festival, check out these new articles from the local newspapers:
It's your last chance to shop for kitchen linen, candles, lotions, glassware, and other high-quality kitchen and bath items at French's Kitchen and Bath and Collectibles and Gifts on the corner of 5th and East streets. Still need a reference? It's across the street from Whiskey Creek Saloon and kitty corner to the old post office.
After 14 years in business, the owner has decided to call it quits. She's ready, she told us yesterday, to move on and do other things she has been wanting to do. I'm happy for her, but also sad that the husband and I won't have a convenient place to purchase fun one-of-a-kind gifts at reasonable prices anymore.
French's will stay open until June 1. Over half of her shop is already gone, including the fixtures. As of yesterday, all food items, such as spices, BBQ rubs, jams, teas, and cookies, are 70 percent off. Everything else is 50 percent off.
I plan on heading back. Don't tell the husband.
P.S. No one paid me to tell you about this sale. Not that I wouldn't mind.
The Hollister Farmers Market is every Wednesday, from 3 to 7 p.m, until the end of September! Hooray!
Farmers, orchardists, and other vendors will line Fifth Street, between San Benito and Monterey, so bring your shopping bags and head on down for afternoon/early evening fun! You might even think about having dinner down there as well. BBQ, hot dogs, enchiladas, and pies are some of the available offerings. Live music, too! Tomorrow, (May 19), Jillian Shaw will be singing on the lawn, while guitarists David Huboi and Vince Zuniga will be performing in front of City Hall.
Now, here's a list of Farmers Market vendors, thanks to Tammy Jackson, the Farmers Market Manager, at the Hollister Downtown Association.
Farmers and Other Agricultural Producers
Avila Farms: broccoli, cauliflower, beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, lettuce, zucchini, brussels sprouts, swiss chard, and green beans
Brays Apiaries: local raw honey
B and T Berry Co. LLC: blueberries and blackberries
Bay Fresh Produce: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, beefsteak tomatoes
B and R Farms: dried apricots, chocolate covered apricots, apricot preserves, chili preserves, chutney, cinnamon spread-no sugar added, apricot topping, apricot red pepper topping, fresh Blenheim apricots
Cindi’s Country Produce: almonds, Fuji apples, Granny Smith apples, Meyer lemons, black figs, white figs, Indian Blood cling peaches, White Freestone peaches, Yellow Freestone peaches, Anjou Pears, Asian pears, Bartlett pears, Santa Rosa plums, bush and string beans, beets, carrots, corn, cucumber, eggplant, grapes, basil, oregano, snow peas, green onions, red and white radishes, crookneck squash, zucchini, beef master tomatoes and market pride tomatoes
Maria Elena Mexican Food: Mexican tortas, flautas, sopes
Mansmith’s BBQ LLC: smoked meats, tri tip sandwiches, bread, sodas, and water
Mariscos San Juan: shrimp, octopus, or mixed cocktails, tostadas of ceviche, shrimp tacos, and oysters in their shell
Michelle’s Golden Brown Bread: apricot, strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, sweet potato, banana, banana nut, zucchini, pineapple, date and bread pudding bread loaves, cookies, brownies, and pies
R Mexican Food: sodas, enchiladas, and pambosas
Ridgemark Golf and Country Club: several varieties of desserts
S and S Jerky Sales: jerky, water, and soda
Taqueria Albor: tacos with handmade tortillas
Wolfsen’s Meat and Sausage Inc: assorted smoked sausages, marinated steaks, fresh steaks, chicken breasts, and dog bone treats
If you were given the choice of grass-fed steak and steak that is not, by all means go for the grass-fed steak. It's a taste treat waaaaaaaay worth the cost. Please excuse the sudden drooling of this writer. Grass-fed steak! Ahhhhhhhhhh. . . .
This Saturday, May 22, 2010, the Slow Food South Bay Chapter will be holding its first 100% Grass-Fed Beef Picnic at Paicines Ranch, about 10 miles south of Hollister. The event is a celebration of local foods in the South Bay, including the ranch's own free-range grass-fed beef. Local seasonal vegetables and fruits will be provided by Eating With the Seasons, a community supported agriculture program that serves the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Grogan House where Judy Garland and Sid Luft were married.
Its a full day event from 1:30 to 10 p.m. It will include ranch tours as well as exhibits, demonstrations, and talks about sustainable agriculture and local foods and products. Activities will start at 2 p.m, with ranch tours scheduled at 2:30 and 4:30. By the way, did you know that Judy Garland and Sid Luft exchanged marriage vows in 1952 at the ranch?
Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. Vegetarian options will be available. After the meal, diners can let loose to live music at an old-fashioned barn dance. Andy Wilson, a popular dance caller in the area, will be teaching steps to all.
Tickets will not be sold at the event. They can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets. Prices are $45, per person for Slow Food, Paicines Ranch and Eating With the Seasons members; $55, for non-members. Children, between 6 and 16, are half-price. Those under six years old are free.
Here are some links to click to get more details of the event and its sponsors:
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.