Post Thanksgiving Hike in 2024. Photo courtesy of Lynn Overtree.
Post Thanksgiving Hike in 2024. Photo courtesy of Lynn Overtree.

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Thanksgiving Day is associated with family, friends and lots of turkey, but there are other ways to celebrate the holiday in San Benito County.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the San Benito Agricultural Land Trust will host its fourth annual post-Thanksgiving Day hike. For the first time, the after-turkey stroll will take place at San Antonio Ranch, near San Juan Bautista. 

“I thought it would be fun to go to San Antonio Ranch and introduce people to the property,” said SBALT executive director Lynn Overtree said. “This is a private working ranch so it’s the first opportunity to get out on the new property.”

The hike takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

San Antonio Ranch (formerly referred as Breen Ranch). Photo courtesy of Lynn Overtree.
San Antonio Ranch (formerly referred as Breen Ranch). Photo courtesy of Lynn Overtree.

She said the land trust is raising money to purchase the ranch, which is currently owned by The Conservation Fund, a national land trust. She said San Antonio Ranch is a critical piece of the wildlife corridor in that area. 

In October, the local nonprofit was awarded $3.25 million to pursue an easement that would protect an undisclosed property in the San Juan Valley from development.

Overtree said the hikes are a spinoff of their monthly Ranch Days in which volunteers perform maintenance work on the Nyland Property or Rancho Larios. 

She said the annual hike is meant to provide a recreation opportunity for community members who are interested in participating in Ranch Days but can’t because of scheduling conflicts. 

“It gives people an opportunity to get out with family,” Overtree said. “We’ve been getting turnouts between 25 to 40 people.”

She said the event involves a moderate four-mile hike and an opportunity to enjoy a picnic-style lunch. SBALT does not provide food for the event.

Community members can sign up for the hike here. An email will provide additional information about the event. 

Birding

REACH San Benito is hosting its annual Black Friday Birding on Nov. 28 starting at 8:30 a.m. at the San Benito County Historical Park. 

According to the nonprofit’s flyer, the event began as a way to introduce community members to the park and “its rich population of permanent and migrating species.”

It adds that a local birding enthusiast will conduct a tour of the grounds in search of different bird species.

Those who are interested in attending the event are encouraged to bring binoculars, a bottle of water, walking shoes and warm layers of clothing. 

The event will conclude with coffee, mid-morning treats and a conversation at the park’s picnic area. 

Other events

Mobile pantry locations and dates. Image courtesy of the Community FoodBank of San Benito County.
Mobile pantry locations and dates. Image courtesy of the Community FoodBank of San Benito County.
  • The FoodBank of San Benito County will hold special marketplace distributions Nov. 24 and Nov. 25 from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The FoodBank will be closed Nov. 26-30. Its mobile pantry will be at its regular Monday and Tuesday locations.
  • The annual Marley Holte Holiday Dinner will provide a Thanksgiving meal to community members on Nov. 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Parish School Gym on College Street in Hollister. According to the organization’s Facebook page, there are opportunities to volunteer leading up to, during and after the event such as setting up, delivering food to community members who can’t participate in person, and serving food. 
  • Wrapping up the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is the Hollister Downtown Association’s 35th annual Hollister Lights On celebration on Nov. 29. Themed “Christmas Around the World,” the event starts with the dec-a-tree event at the Veterans Building plaza from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by the parade at 5:30 p.m. starting on the corner of Haydon and San Benito streets and traveling north on San Benito Street to Fifth Street. There will also be photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus at 7 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building (it’s $7 per photo. no pet photos allowed), and the tree lighting ceremony at 7:15 p.m. to cap off the festivities.

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Noe Magaña is a BenitoLink reporter. He began with BenitoLink as an intern and later served as a freelance reporter. He has also served as content manager and co-editor. He experiments with videography...