Saturday, September 5, 2015

2015 San Benito Olive Festival

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The Third Annual San Benito Olive Festival is only six Saturdays away! Saturday, October 17, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., to be precise. The place—Bolado Park in Tres Pinos, right off Highway 25, about eight miles south of Hollister.  

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This foodie celebration honors the rich agricultural bounty and heritage of San Benito County, showcasing many of the local olive oil producers, winemakers, food artisans, fine artists, craftspeople, restaurants, and chefs.  All net proceeds from the event are donated to nonprofit organizations in San Benito County.

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We will be tasting award-winning olive oils from such producers as Oils of Paicines and Brigantino Olio de Oliva as well as various types of olives from Papa Joe's Spicy Products and The Farm Bertuccio's.


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We will be checking out Blenheim apricots, balsamic vinegars, chocolates, and other culinary treats from Apricot King, Marich Premium Chocolates, Tantalizing Toffee, Vertigo Coffee, and California Balsamic.


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We will be trying out wines and handcrafted beers from Calera Wine, Guerra Cellars, Aimee June Winery, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Grillin & Chillin Alehouse, and others.


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We will be having a hard time deciding from which restaurant or food truck to buy lunch—Fired Up Fresh, Kuki's Bowl, Paine's Restaurant, or another.


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We will be listening—and maybe dancing—to local bands of different styles, from jazz (Mr. O's Jazz Band) to doo-wop (The Flashbacks) and more. 


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We will be meandering up and down aisles, checking out amazing art, crafts, jewelry, kitchenware, gift products by Italian artisans, garden items, and other lovely things from such merchants as  the Gioia Company, Artistic Woodcrafts, McAbee Feed, and M & M Plant Sales Inc.


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We will be venturing into booths of the San Benito County Historical Society and other nonprofit groups to learn more about the history, organic agricultural bounty, and the world in general about San Benito County. 


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We will be enjoying the cooking demonstrations with olive oil by talented chefs, such as the ever popular Chef and Cooking Instructor Dorothy McNett and Executive Chef Cal Stamenov from the Bernardus Lodge & Spa in Carmel Valley.


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We will be tired, happy, and full by the end of the day. 

For the latest information about the San Benito Olive Festival, go to its website and/or Facebook page.  To purchase tickets online, check out its Eventbrite page.


Friday, September 4, 2015

100+ Year Old Palm Trees in Tres Pinos


These very, very tall palm trees stand in front of the old Tres Pinos School, which today is a private residence. Designed by Frank Delos Wolfe, the building is a beautifully crafted example of California prairie architecture. The trees were planted when the school was built around 1915. Click here to see a photo of the old school 100 years ago.

By the way, generations of Tres Pinos School children left their marks on the trunks on the old palms. Some of them are still visible.



Thursday, September 3, 2015

The Dunne Park Rose Garden


Many communities throughout the United States have a public rose garden. Hollister is no different. Our rose garden is located in Dunne Park, at the east end near West Street. It's small, but beautiful, whether tended or not.


The garden has nice paths to walk among the roses. And, if you feel like relaxing in the garden, you can sit on one of the two benches there. Both benches are dedicated to special people in the community.


The rock bench is a memorial to Philip Paz (1913–1991) who helped in the design of the rose garden.  I like the last line of the dedication in particular, ". . . May the perpetual blooms of this garden remind us of those who have given so much and taken so little."


Friends of Janet Graham put in the other bench to honor the late public health nurse and community activist who was very involved in advocating the safety, health, and fitness of the children of San Benito County. Ms. Graham's work continues today through The Janet Graham Memorial Fund.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

All Things Vertigo in San Juan Bautista


In this instance, not Vertigo Coffee, but Vertigo, the 1958 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. And, that is what Vertigo Day at the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park on September 26, 2015 will be all about.

The event is sponsored by San Juan Bautista State Historic Park and the Plaza History Association and features a tour, a lecture, and a showing of Vertigo.
  • 3:00 p.m. — a 1.5 hour guide tour of the mission and park, highlighting Vertigo stories and film locations.
  • 4:30 p.m. — "Mastery of Hitchcock," a talk by Luis Camara, CSU Monterey Bay film professor, at the Plaza Saloon.
  • 8:10 p.m — Vertigo on the Plaza lawn. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. It may be chilly, so bring jackets or extra blankets. 
The movie is free. The tour is $15/person and Professor Camara's lecture is $10/person. You can do both the tour and lecture for $20/per person. For more information about Vertigo Day, click here.

Wondering where to eat before the movie? San Juan Bautista has several restaurants, including Vertigo Coffee which serves awesome handcrafted, oven baked pizza. For info about places to eat and drink in San Juan Bautista, check out this link.

I can't leave you without a clip from Vertigo. This scene is from the imaginary bell tower of Mission San Juan Bautista. By the time Hitchcock came to San Juan to shoot, the mission no longer had a bell tower, so he built one for the movie. And, a taller one at that.





Tuesday, September 1, 2015

2015 Aromas Day Parade


The Aromas Day Parade is the narrowest of all the parades that take place in San Benito County. Hands down. The parade, which took place last Sunday—Aromas Day, gracefully marched up Carpenteria Street that was lined with booths on both sides. I loved the joyful cheers and happy faces of the parade participants and us, parade viewers.

The Husband and I were getting corn dogs when the parade started so we missed the first few floats and also a good spot from where short me could see. No problem. I simply held the camera up high, clicked, and hoped for the best. Here are four of my favorite parade entries.

North Monterey County High School Marching Band

Former Aromas 4-H members

Women's Club of Hollister

Transition Aromas

To see more photos of the Aromas Day Parade, check out my album at Take 25 to Hollister Facbook page. You ought be able to see the photos without logging on or having a Facebook account.

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