A Beautiful Day for a Lot of Something

Hooking up with Skywatch Friday

Today is going to be hopping around San Benito County.  These are just a few of the events:

The Red Ribbon 5K is going on right now in Historical Downtown Hollister. Participants are running a 3.1 mile in the shape of an H.  Post-run festivities continue until 12:30 p.m.

The Cole Canyon Farm , a certified organic nursery in Aromas, is holding an Open Greenhouse Sale to the public, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's located at 1495 Cole Road. 

The San Juan Bautista Historical Society is holding an open house from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Carl M. Luck Memorial Park in San Juan Bautista. The celebration includes a presentation of the Digital San Juan Bautista Project (hundreds of old photos of the City and its residents), used book sale, silent auction, and BBQ, among other activities. This is a free event, open to the public.

The Second Annual San Benito Olive Festival, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m, at Bolado Park in Tres Pinos, about 8 miles south of Hollister on Highway 25. The gourmet celebration features several celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, live bands, restaurant fare, artisanal food sampling, wine and craft beer tasting, and much, much more.  Tickets are still available at the gate.

Drum Reflection

The drummer is part of Mr. O's Jazz Band, a popular ensemble composed of adults and youth. The group plays at many of the local events such as last week's San Benito County Fair and tomorrow's San Benito Olive Festival.

The band is lead by Mr. Joe Ostensen who taught music and band classes in the Hollister middle schools for several decades. When he retired a few years ago, he and his wife Frances started Mr. O's Academy of the Arts. The Ostensens contine to be the strongest supporters of music in the Hollister elementary and middle schools.

Today, I'm hanging out at Weekend Reflections. Come join me by clicking here.

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Register to Vote!

Are you qualified to vote, but haven't registered yet?

To qualify in California, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old on Election Day, and a resident of California.  You may not be qualified if you have a felony criminal conviction or currently in a correctional facility, or if a court says you are mentally incompetent.

You'll need to re-register to vote if you moved or changed your name since the last election. Should you want to change your political party, you'll need to re-register, too.

You can register to vote up to 15 days before an election. Our next election is Tuesday, November 4. That means the last day for registration is October 20, 2014.

Three Ways to Register to Vote

You can register in person. In San Benito County, go to the Registrar of Voters office located at 440 Fifth Street, Room 206. That's the second floor of the old courthouse.

Your can register by mail. Pick up a voter registration application at the public library, U.S. post office, Department of Motor Vehicle office, or  San Benito County Registrar of Voters office.

You can register online at the California Online Voter Registration website.

There are no excuses. Go out and vote!

A Measure of Distance

On our way to the Burger Factory, the Husband's and my favorite mom-and-pop hamburger joint in Hollister, we drive by Furlong Alley. It's one of several one-block alleys in the downtown area. Furlong is hidden between San Benito and East Streets, running parallel with Second Street.

Until recently, whenever I saw the sign for Furlong Alley, I'd wonder what used to be there for the Navy guys who were stationed at the Naval Auxiliary Air Station during the 1940s. Was it a bar at which they hung out when they were in town? I asked the Husband if he thought that was the case. His answer: "You're thinking of furlough. Furlong is a measure of distance."

Oh.

Furlong is one-eighth of a mile. 220 yards. I wonder why someone decided to name that stretch of road Furlong Alley? Could it be that once upon-a-time drivers needed that much of a running start to get their cars up Hill Street to Vista Park Hill, the highest point (about 380 feet high) in Downtown Hollister.

Today is all about the letter M at Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday. That's where I'm hanging out. Come join me by clicking here.

Furlong Alley ends at San Benito Street.
Cross the street and you climb up Hill Street.

The Second Annual San Benito Olive Festival

This Saturday, October 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., is the second annual San Benito Olive Festival, which celebrates the natural beauty and agricultural bounty of our county. I have no doubt that it will be another successful fun and joyful affair that will be attended by hundreds of people from near and far.

San Benito Olive Festival is both the gourmet event and the not-for-profit organization that plans, organizes, and brings the event together. The group's mission is to promote awareness and appreciation of the region's world-class culinary agriculture and premier artisans who make award-winning olive oils, wines, chocolates, Blenheim apricot products, and more. All net profits made from the event are donated to service, educational, and other community groups in San Benito County.

This year, the gourmet celebration is going to be at the gorgeous, historic Bolado Park, which is 8 miles south of Hollister. It's easy to find and reach on Highway 25, whether driving from the north or south.

There will be lots to eat, to drink, to purchase, and to enjoy at the festival. General admission tickets -- $20/adults and $10/children, ages 5-12 -- include the cost of entry to the festival, parking, cooking demonstrations, and entertainment. The $35 VIP ticket grants guests access to the wine tasting tent and five tastings of wine and craft beer from wineries in San Benito, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties. I'm a beer drinker myself, but I would be tempted to taste samples from places with such great names as Alicats Winery, Wild Eye Winery, Lightheart Cellars, and Graveyard Vineyards.

Six celebrity chefs are scheduled to conduct live cooking demonstrations of dishes using olives or olive oil. Starting off will be Chef Eric Carter, Director of the Culinary Arts at Cabrillo College in Aptos, at which the students run the popular Pino Alto Restaurant on campus. Following him will be Chef Dorothy McNett, the popular foodie legend of the California Central Coast, after which the chef duo Gene Sakahara and Sam Bozzo, also known as SakaBozzo, the twins separated at birth, from the Gilroy Garlic Festival will take the cooking stage. Next up will be Chef Mike Fisher, a Hollister native and local caterer who was trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and ending the day will be Chef David Boswell who is the Chef de Cuisine at Yahoo!

It's going to be a toss up for me -- watching the cooking demonstrations or listening to the live bands. I've heard three out of the four that will be performing Saturday, and just the music alone makes me realize what a bargain the festival tickets are for a great afternoon of fun. Festival guests will be hearing a range of music from jazz and big band by Mr. O's Jazz Band, doo-wop by The Flashbacks, and popular rock by Shiloh and The Retrospect.

I could go on and on about the San Benito Olive Festival, but I shall stop here. To learn more, check out the festival's website and read this article that the festival posted at BenitoLink.com.

Today, I shall be hanging out at Our World Tuesday. Come join me by clicking here.

Out the Other Window

The bus turned from the San Benito County Fairgrounds to Airline Highway and I realized that I should've sat on the other side of the bus. Too tired to move, and not wanting to bother the Husband,  I snapped photos out the window across the aisle anyway. (That hair, by the way, belongs to the Husband.)

I'm hanging out at Smiling Sally's Blue Monday. The theme is the color blue. See what blues bloggers from around the world have posted by clicking here.

The 2014 San Benito County Fair!

After a week of posting photos of our county fair from past years,  I now bring you a few photos of some of the neat things that the Husband and I saw yesterday at this year's fair. I'll eventually post an album of more photos at Facebook.

Today is the last day of the fair. It's on until 7 p.m. at Bolado Park, about 8 miles south of Hollister. Click here for the entertainment schedule.

By the way, I'm linking up with Sundays in My City, hosted by Unknown Mami. Click here to check out what's happening in other cities on this fine Sunday.

The San Benito County Historical Society display.

The 4-H member who raised this beauty sure knew what she or he was doing.

The gorgeous quilting corner.

Future Farmers of America and 4-H members sold the cows, sheep,
pigs, and goats they raised at the livestock auction at the fair.

The ever familiar Future Farmers of America jacket.

Pigs can so fly? At least over these hurdles.
Who knew they could move so quickly!

Board of Supervisor Anthony Bothelo was one of several officials
who read to the children in the storybook corner.

Check out the handcrafted guitar made from a cigar box!

Funnel cakes, droooooool.

Best of Show for Decorated Cakes

First place entry in the Humor Category for Senior Photography Department:
Deranged — Upon arriving at yet another tour,  the husband became deranged.

Reach for the StarsKindergarten/First Grade entries from Tres Pinos School

The Quiet Before the Fair

In a couple hours, the Husband and I will catch the free County Express bus shuttle to the San Benito County Fair. I think I will be an adult and not race over to the floral, photography, and home arts departments to see how my entries did. Maybe.

For more info about the fair, check out the San Benito County Fair website. This past week, I've been posting photos of past several years of the fair: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Today, I'm hooking up at The Weekend in Black and White.

The 91st Annual San Benito County Fair

The San Benito County Fair is on!

Over the next three days, folks will travel south and north on Highway 25 to Bolado Park to enjoy the 91st annual traditional event. Eat, drink, and be merry.  Oooh over 4-H and children displays and livestock exhibits, drool over the baked good entries, and appreciate the various splendid quilt, art, craft, and photography work.  Best of all, hang out and catch up with family and friends.

Here's where to find information online:

• Hours of the Fair
• Cost of Tickets 
• Fair & Entertainment Schedule
• Free County Express Shuttle Schedule from Hollister and San Juan Bautista

This week has been all about the San Benito County Fair. To check out posts from the last few days, please click here.

Tootling Around the County Fair

Only one more day before the 91st Annual San Benito County Fair opens at Bolado Park for the weekend. Whooo-hooo!

Yesterday evening, I noticed that a few of the carnival rides were up. That took me back to being 8 or 9 years old when I went to the fair (the San Benito County Fair, in fact) for the first time and I rode the crazy spinning ride for the first time and I experienced vertigo for the first time. Oh, joy! It took a few more times before I was cured from going on any kind of spinning rides again.

There are so many things to check out at the fair—the livestock, 4-H displays, and the quilting, crafts, baking, arts, and other fair entries. There are also the community group booths, the vendors, the model train exhibit, and more. One year, the Husband and I plunked down a dollar each to see The Strange Thing. After reading all the signs outside of the booth, who wouldn't want to know what The Strange Thing was.  So, what was it? An old beat-up, dried lizard-looking body that we were told was the legendary chupacabra monster. Uh-huh.

And, when your tootsies are tired from tootling around the displays and exhibits, you can park yourself in front of the one stages and listen to a live band or watch dance troupes, jugglers, a magician, or, perhaps, a hypnotist put willing fair guests under his spell. I did that one year. Yup, I did. If you'd like to read my hypnosis experience, please click here.

For a schedule of events, including All Alaskan racing pigs, truck pulls, and kid tractor pulls, click here.

Today I'm taking part in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. To check out what other bloggers are featuring about the letter T, please click here.

All this week I'm writing about the San Benito County Fair. If you want to see a few more photos of our fair, here are Monday's post, Tuesday's post, and Wednesday's post.
 

Livestock at the Fair

Do you remember the folk song (or children song) Animal Fair? 

We're going to the animal fair.
The birds and beasts were there.
The big baboon by the light of the moon
was combing his auburn hair.

That's the first verse of the version I know, which according to Wikipedia was first sung in 1898 by American sailors. I'll probably hum that tune on Saturday as the Husband and I take the free shuttle to the San Benito County Fair. Alas, there shan't be any baboons, but domestic birds and beasts shall be there.

The San Benito County Fair is this weekend at Bolado Park: Friday, October 3 (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.), Saturday, October 4 (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.), and Sunday, October 5 (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.) The San Benito County Express will offer a free shuttle from San Juan Bautista and Hollister on all three days. Click here for the shuttle schedule.

The cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and rabbits are all raised by members of the various 4-H clubs in San Benito County, as well as high school students who belong to the Future Farmers of America (FFA). Every year, the youth sell their cows, pigs, and goats at the Junior Livestock Auction which is held at the fair. This year, it's on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.

Today is Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday. That's where I'm hanging out, checking other letter L posts by  bloggers from around the world. You can join me by clicking here.

By the way, I'm featuring the county fair this whole week. Here are Monday's post and Tuesday's post. Swing back tomorrow if you can.

Our World: The San Benito County Fair

I never gave much thought to the definition of county fair. Nor did I ever wonder if the term was even in the dictionary. Until last night, that is.  In honor of the San Benito County Fair this weekend (October 3, 4, and 5), I thought I'd feature it every day this week, but, as usual, without a plan about what to post. And, when in a mire about what to write, I reach for the dictionary and if the dictionary inspires naught, the encyclopedia.

According to Merriam Webster, the term county fair is a noun.  It originated in 1856. It means "a fair usually held annually at a set location in a county especially to exhibit local agricultural products and livestock."   Oxford Dictionaries.com defines county fair one better: "A competitive exhibition of livestock, agricultural products, and household skills held annually by a town, county, or state and also featuring entertainment and educational displays."

 
The San Benito County Fair is held at Bolado Park, eight miles south of Hollister. According to the May 10, 1938 issue of the Free Lance,  in 1922, some folks asked Julia Bolado Davis if they could hold a county fair on part of her property. She said yes and the rest was history.

Today, I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday. I invite you to come check out posts by other bloggers around the world. Please click here. 

P.S. Here's the link to yesterday's post about the San Benito County Fair. By the way, I have no idea what I'll write about tomorrow.

Up Ahead: The 2014 San Benito County Fair

2011 San Benito County Fair

Yaay! It's county fair time in our part of the world. Over the next four days, children and adults are taking their entries down to Bolado Park for the San Benito County Fair. Then all through next weekend, we can stroll among the exhibits and check out all the wonderful entries—livestock, art, flower arrangements, photographs, paintings, crafts, cookies, pies, pickled vegetables, quilts, crafts, and so on.

2009 San Benito County Fair

The 91st annual San Benito County Fair runs from Friday, October 3 to Sunday, October 5. For details about hours, admission, and schedule, click here to go to the fair's website. The San Benito County Express will be offering a free bus shuttle to the fair, which will make stops in Hollister and San Juan Bautista.  Click here for the shuttle schedule.

2012 San Benito County Fair

Today, I'm hanging out at Smiling Sally's Blue Monday. Come join me by clicking here. 

By the way, I'll be posting photos from the past six fairs this week. 

2013 San Benito County Fair

Heading Up to the Clouds

Yesterday was a gorgeous day to hike the Anza Trail, a mile or so south of the City of San Juan Bautista. The trail, formally known as the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, is 1,200 miles long, stretching from Nogales, Arizona to the Carquinez Straits in Contra Costa, California.

The local segment of the trail used to be the Old Stage Road, on which once upon a time stage coaches ran between San Juan Bautista and Salinas. The first mile of the 4.5 trail is a rather steep climb that I wonder how often passengers had to get off the coach and walk.

Today, I'm hanging out at The Weekend in Black and White. Click here to see other black and white photos by bloggers around the world.