The temperature was pushing 100 degrees when I first rode into
Hollister last week. The trip on U.S. 101 from the Los Angeles area
started out as a peaceful and scenic journey, until I heard a burst
of noise from under my car just past Salinas.
The temperature was pushing 100 degrees when I first rode into Hollister last week. The trip on U.S. 101 from the Los Angeles area started out as a peaceful and scenic journey, until I heard a burst of noise from under my car just past Salinas.
It sounded like my old reliable – but definitely banged up – Geo Metro was finally ready to blow. Despite a long and colorful parade of clunkers over the years, I still know very little about the automobile.
But this sounded serious. And the timing, as usual, couldn’t have been much worse.
I was a stranger in a town where I didn’t know east from west, let alone where to take my critical-condition car at 6:15 p.m. But it looked like Hollister Tire and Battery Service was still open, despite the 5 p.m. closing time posted on the door.
Jesse Rios, the manager, said without hesitation they would take a look at it. A co-worker put the car on the lift and said he would try to weld the muffler.
Within minutes, sparks were flying as he took on the hot job in the stifling heat, when they could have easily closed the shop and headed home instead. Thirty minutes and 30 bucks later I was back on the street with a quiet car.
The “co-worker” who did the welding turned out to be the shop’s owner, Celerino Lopez.
Now that was quite a welcome. And the spirit of that helping hand in the heat has continued every day since all across town.
“Welcome to Hollister” has continually been repeated in words and actions as I once again scramble to set up a place to live and work.
I have worked for more than a dozen newspapers in 26 years with locations ranging from my hometown of Chicago to Hawaii, California, Las Vegas, Florida and parts in between.
I already know this from experience: Hollister is a good town filled with good people. The everyday heroes of our society are here.
Strong parents. Dedicated workers. Volunteers. Seniors with knowledge. Young people with dreams. The men and women and children of our community who get up every morning and go out and make this a better place to live and work. Then they do it again the next day.
We often make the mistake of labeling our heroes as those who get paid millions of dollars to hit home runs or dunk a basketball. Or star in a movie or sing in a band.
Hey, nothing against entertainers or striking it rich. Talent alone rarely makes it happen anyway.
But what makes this a great country, state and town are you, you and you.
And that’s who we want to honor and write about in the Hollister Free Lance.
Please allow me to sign all of you up as Free Lance reporters since this is your hometown newspaper. Please call me (637-5566 ext. 337 at work, or 630-9086 at home) or feel free to stop by the office with any story ideas, comments or just to say hello.
Or e-mail me at
mf*********@fr***********.com
. I will always reply online and promise to return your call if I don’t answer in person.
I would also be honored to speak or answer questions at any of your events or gatherings, even on short notice.
And thanks again for the warmest of welcomes – especially on a hot, lonely evening when everything seemed to be going wrong.
I will never forget your kindness.
Mike Fitzgerald is Executive Editor/Associate Publisher of the Free Lance.
