Hollister
– Marley Holte gave Hollister a legacy when he began the annual
holiday dinners more than 20 years ago.
Hollister – Marley Holte gave Hollister a legacy when he began the annual holiday dinners more than 20 years ago.
And organizers of the inaugural Holte Memorial Christmas Dinner plan to continue that tradition Christmas day from 11am to 1pm at the Sacred Heart gym in Hollister. With more than 100 turkeys donated before the Thanksgiving dinner, the Holte Memorial committee was set for Christmas, said Gayle Hendricks, an organizing committee member.
“We have enough turkeys; we have enough of everything else,” Hendricks said.
The dinner will have all the usual Christmas day fare with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, tortilla chips and salsa, rolls, and boatloads of gravy, Hendricks said.
Organizing committee member Larry Brown said he will be up at 5:30am Christmas day to help prepare the turkeys with the Mansmiths, who bring their Southern Pride smoker to smoke the turkeys every year. Several cases of tri tip could also be a special guest, said Brown, pending funding approval.
“It’s definitely going to be a turkey again this year,” Brown said. “We’re cooking 25.”
And don’t forget dozens of pumpkin pies courtesy of the San Benito County Girl Scouts. The scouts donated 80 pumpkin pies, too many to be eaten, to this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. Volunteers were sending guests home with entire pies.
“All the Girl Scout troops dropped of six or seven each,” Hendricks said.
Hendricks said 180 people were served Thanksgiving dinner in the gym this year. The dinner also delivered 80 bags of food and had 45 bags of food for pick up, Hendricks said.
She expects more to attend the Christmas dinner.
“We’re going to have Santa Claus and toys for all the kids as usual,” Hendricks said. “We’re expecting 250 people. Santa Claus brings them in.”
Volunteers will also be running more than 100 bags of food to those who cannot make the Christmas day dinner, Hendricks said.
Hendricks added that the dinner has always been open to anyone wishing to attend.
“Anybody that doesn’t have family,” Hendricks said. “Anybody who wants to come out and eat with the community. Anybody who has just arrived here and wants to meet people in the community.”
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
