At a June 1 meeting, the Hollister City Council unanimously approved a scaled-down version of the certified downtown farmers market to take place on Saturdays. The Hollister Downtown Association (HDA) previously announced the cancelation of the market in April because of shelter-in-place restrictions related to COVID-19. Council members also approved the purchase of a new industrial stove for the Hollister Community Center.
The farmers market will take place from June 6 through Aug. 15 between 9 a.m and 12 p.m, though interim City Manager Brett Miller said it will not be held on 4th of July weekend. According to the meeting agenda packet, the market will be limited to 15 vendors—with 50 people able to attend at one time—and will be held on San Benito Street between Wentz Alley and Sixth Street. In previous years, the market took place on Wednesdays, featured about 90 vendors and drew crowds of up to 5,000 people, according to the packet.
Corey Shaffer, executive director of the HDA, told BenitoLink the association is working on logistics and is looking into using some kind of perimeter to manage the crowd. Vendor trucks will not be allowed to park in the area, and will only be allowed to load or unload goods. The association will also consider adjusting the process to manage more than 50 people in the market while still adhering to safety guidelines, Shaffer said.
“Our farmers market customers are great,” she said. “I’m not seeing it being a huge problem.”
Councilman Rolin Resendiz commended the HDA for adapting to current circumstances.
“I think that this is going to be a big hit and I think it’s going to pair nicely with what’s already happening downtown,” Resendiz said, referring to the restaurants using San Benito Street for outdoor dining.
Mayor Ignacio Velazquez also praised the HDA and called the new iteration of the farmers market “a great solution.”
Council members also approved of an $11,000 purchase to replace the industrial stove at the Hollister Community Center, which has been in service for over 30 years. According to the meeting packet, the current stove is unrepairable despite attempts to fix it.
The stove will continue to be made available for Jovenes De Antaño, which provides food services to low-income seniors through its state-funded Meals on Wheels program.
BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is working around the clock during this time when accurate information is essential. It is expensive to produce local news and community support is what keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s news.
