We had another reminder this weekend of what a delightful
community we live in.
The annual Portuguese festival was held Saturday and Sunday and,
as usual, attracted hundreds of residents and many visitors from
out of town.
We had another reminder this weekend of what a delightful community we live in.
The annual Portuguese festival was held Saturday and Sunday and, as usual, attracted hundreds of residents and many visitors from out of town.
It is among our oldest traditions, starting sometime in the late 19th century when most of Hollister’s original inhabitants were still living. Old-timers said it was already well established when Immaculate Conception Church began its yearly barbecue soon after the church was built in 1892. The San Juan Bautista Festival, which began while San Juan still belonged to Mexico, may be the oldest of all.
But whatever its age, it is among the events to which we look forward with great anticipation and remember for months afterward.
It and other celebrations bring together many local people for a wholesome time. We will observe another long-established event later this month when we attend the San Benito Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo, and next month again will celebrate the Hollister Independence Day Rally, a celebration not as old as some but still full of fun for all the participants.
Still ahead also are the Downtown Street Festival and the annual county fair in early autumn. Then it will not be long until the Lights On Celebration that opens the Christmas season.
In that joyous time, Marley Holte’s Thanksgiving and Christmas community dinners will give us all an opportunity to share the season with others as well as making it richer for ourselves.
San Benito County is not a Frank Capra movie inspired by a Norman Rockwell painting, but it retains many of the observances that were dear to the hearts of our earlier residents.
It reminds each of us that our friends, our neighbors, our families still make up our most precious asset. May that be as true a century from now as it was for our ancestors 100 years ago.
