Hollister
– The 20th Annual Summer Street Festival is coming to town
Saturday and will provide a prime opportunity to get out and enjoy
downtown’s unique atmosphere with the whole family.
Hollister – The 20th Annual Summer Street Festival is coming to town Saturday and will provide a prime opportunity to get out and enjoy downtown’s unique atmosphere with the whole family.
“It really is kind of a big deal. It should be a great event this year,” Charlene Van Rooy of the Hollister Downtown Association said.
The street festival is a tradition designed to entertain locals over the weekend before summer officially ends and entice shoppers who might usually head out of town to check out local shops and restaurants. The HDA anticipates 5,000 people will visit the festival, which runs from 10am-6pm.
“I think it definitely helps people out every year,” Van Rooy said.
Each year San Benito Street is shut down to accommodate local craft vendors and community organizations, food stands and a myriad of family activities. The classic car show, which will feature around 100 cars and three boats this year, and live entertainment are mainstays of the event.
“And we’ll be giving out free watermelon, of course,” Van Rooy said. “You really can’t have the street festival without watermelon.”
Several new attractions have been added to this year’s event as well. Community acts will be featured at the Veteran’s Memorial Building, where many local dance students will kick up their heels. In addition to local adult bands on the mainstage, seven or eight bands from the local high school music scene will be performing in front of the YMCA building on Fifth street.
“I’m really excited about that,” Van Rooy said. “Because we’ve never really had anything to do for the ‘tweens.’ We’ve had stuff for kids to do and stuff for adults, but not for them.”
Budding artists of all ages will also be set loose on Fifth street with sidewalk chalk, which downtown officials hope will become a new tradition.
“I hope that we can have some real creative contests with this in the future,” Van Rooy said.
Cynthia Hanson, manager at Kelly’s Gift Place, attested to the value of the annual Street Festival for business.
“I always tell everyone that it’s the best event we have and it brings in the best people,” she said. “So we always have our sidewalk sale, and this year we’re having a big sale because we have to remodel for the bookstore and coffee shop we’re adding.”
Van Rooy encouraged all residents to check out the street fair, even if it’s not a tradition they’re usually a part of.
“It’s all about hometown entertainment and supporting your local community,” she said.
The HDA could still use volunteers to help set up for the event early Saturday morning. Anyone looking to contribute can call 636-8406.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
