Local Scene: Oriana Chorale winter concerts coming up

Oriana Chorale to perform winter concerts

Oriana Chorale will perform its winter concert, “A Joyful Sound the World Around,” at three locations next week. 

The community choral group will perform 7:30pm Dec. 11 and 3pm Dec. 15 at Christ Fellowship Church, 2066 San Benito St in Hollister; and 7:30pm Dec. 13 at Mission San Juan Bautista, 406 Second Street, San Juan Bautista. 

The winter program includes seasonal songs “from serious to fun in a wide variety of styles, traditions and languages,” says an announcement from Oriana Chorale. 

Tickets for the concerts are available at Postal Graphics in Hollister or at the door of each performance. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for students. 

Visit orianachorale.org for more information. 

South Valley Symphony performs Dec. 14

The South Valley Symphony’s winter concert will take place 3pm Dec. 14 at Advent Lutheran Church, 16870 Murphy Ave. in Morgan Hill. The program includes Kyle Jones’ Christmas Concertante for Horn and Orchestra, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Winter Wonderland and more. 

Tickets are available online and at the door. Students in K-12 and those currently attending college can get in for free. For more information and to order tickets, visit southvalleysymphony.org. 

Learn about the future of fire services

San Benito County will hold a town hall on fire protection services from 6:30-8:30pm Jan. 9 at Paines Restaurant, 421 East Street in Hollister. 

The county’s fire consultants will deliver a presentation on the future of local fire services, covering all the options currently under consideration.

The City of Hollister has been providing fire services for San Benito County since 2013. The current contract runs through Dec. 31, 2025. 

On June 20, 2024, the City of Hollister submitted a letter to the county advising of terminating fire protection services in the unincorporated San Benito County, unilaterally changing the termination date certain, says the county’s website. 

Since then, the county has contracted with MRG, a municipal advisor, and an outside party to assist with fire protection services. MRG has experience assisting local governments in addressing a wide range of issues, including fire protection services, says the county’s website.

The county is also working with William L. Adams, PC for legal counsel. A team of experts is advising and supporting the county in navigating through options for fire protection services. 

The team has identified the following options, according to the county’s website: 

Renegotiate the Contract with the City of Hollister;

• Explore a hybrid model with CalFire and local staffing;

• Form a regional fire protection district with neighboring counties;

• Build a new San Benito County Fire Department;

• Contract with private fire service providers;

• Leverage volunteer or combination fire department models;

• Creating a Joint Power Authority (JPA) with the City of Hollister and other agencies.