 On The Line -- Issue 598 -- September 1, 2006  Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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On The Line -- Issue 598 -- September 1, 2006 Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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With eight months of the year already behind us and summer playing out over the next three weeks, we are approaching the busiest season of the year and, to many people, the best.
The final quarter abounds in holidays, near-holidays and anticipated events in San Benito County. The four-day annual county fair will be upon us soon, with all the joy, merriment and reunion it brings. Soon after the time-honored barbecue at Immaculate Conception Church will draw its usual crowd of hundreds, then Halloween will be upon us before we are quite ready for it, and the return to Daylight Savings Time will fall hard upon that. Veterans' Day and Thanksgiving are important dates in our community as well as in other parts of the United States. Reverence is given at each of them, and gratitude. Our thanks will be expressed or felt for the veterans of our military forces who served the country in peace and war, and for the freedoms we enjoy. No one need point out the joy, the feeling within all hearts that Christmas engenders but we still try to express it every year. It also marks the beginning of the last week of the year and the propensity to look ahead. While we are still in summer, though, we look back upon the present season and the events during it that have become traditional to us. The Portuguese Festival that has been celebrated here ever since anyone can remember is a feast of gratitude and sharing with others. People from Portugal and their descendants have played vital roles here and make a point of inviting others of different backgrounds and faiths to share in their two-day celebration. The annual Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo heralded by its annual parade is one of the very few rodeos in which participation is limited to residents or people who work here. It keeps alive the spirit of the vaquero, who was central to the culture of the county long before it was a county and before the Americans came. Another tradition that started here in the 1980s is the Farmers' Market. It moved from its original spot on Sixth Street between San Benito and Monterey streets -- and original time of Friday afternoon -- to several other places before it settled on the green in front of the Briggs Building at San Benito and Fourth streets where it is held on Wednesday. Wednesday, Aug. 30, was its last time for the current year. Sharlene Van Rooy of the sponsoring Hollister Downtown Association has been in charge this year, succeeding Diana Thorson. Last year's manager. Mrs. Van Rooy was out greeting participants as they sat up their stands or tables. She took a few minutes to talk with a friend regarding the future of the Farmers' Market. "Frankly, I don't know," she said. We're going to meet in a couple of weeks to talk it over." Participation has been down this year even though the event is well advertised. In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, the market offers ready-to-eat, ranging from tacos to barbecued ribs and frequently, live music. Mrs. Van Rooy mentioned that she and husband Frank Van Rooy are all settled in now on the Fifth Street home of the late Dr. Charles Johnson. "We moved in during July," she said, "and now all the paperwork is complete." Meanwhile, the participants were exchanging greetings and comments as they set up for the last session of the year. "What are we going to do now on Wednesdays?" one lady called over to another at a vegetable stand. "I don't know," was the rejoinder. "Maybe I'll learn to relax." Annie Agah of the Veranda in Tres Pinos prepared for the afternoon. Pat Ward, at the station next to her, smiled as she got ready to sell bread and cheese spreads from Main Street Bistro, owned by her son, Kip Ward, and his wife, Megan Guerra. Shortly after, A. Agah, Mrs. Agah's husband, arrived. Eric Tognazzini was there in his wheelchair, taking it all in and enjoying the easy camaraderie with participants and customers. He is a community icon and his cheerfulness in spite of his life-long affliction is an inspiration to many. Tom and Beth Kenyon also enjoyed themselves. For many years until his retirement, Kenyon oversaw the maintenance of a large fleet of trucks for a San Jose firm. After retirement, the Kenyons lived in New Hampshire for a few years, then decided to retire permanently in Hollister. Customers had started coming by then, and visited all the produce stands, including B&R Farms, Swank, Phil Foster and others where green and red bell peppers, corn, green beans, squash, tomatoes and onions were oiled in pyramids or sprawled in multi-colored splendor among the stalls. Pat Loe smiled and waved as she went past with a bag to which she kept adding. A number of customers stopped at the Mansmith Barbecue truck, outside of which Mike Mansmith was grilling tri-tips and sides of ribs that emitted a tantalizing fragrance. A soft drink stand next to it dispensed large cups of soda with ice and straws. A number of people stopped by the taqueria stand that also sold burritos, tamales and other Mexican dishes. Marv and Reba Jones and other members of the faithful talked together in the open tent of the county Republican party and occasionally dispensed literature to those who wanted it. In solitary splendor in a smaller tent facing San Benito Street, Nancy Kops handed out literature for the county Democratic party. Richard Place stopped for a moment to talk. The former county supervisor has a keen interest in politics and always has a few cogent comments about it on the local level. He laughed at a friend saying how he was impressed by Ignacio Velazquez's commercials on television in his bid for an Assembly seat. "Is that right?" Place asked. "He has an attractive family, hasn't he?" "Yes," responded the friend; "that's what may have me cross party lines and write in the name of his toddler son." Place laughed and walked away. It was a good day for the final market of the year, warm but not too hot. It is one of those little scenes that stay in the mind, of people coming, going, talking and laughing together. It is hoped that it will continue next summer. |
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