Celebrate Eric

Eric Tognazzini's services are on Friday May 27th but Johnny's will also be hosting a celebration of life-birthday party on Wednesday June 1st at 5:30 pm. This year would have marked sixteen years of celebrating with Eric and we will miss him severely. It will be a wonderful opportunity to share your favorite Eric stories and pictures with friends. We will have some great food as well as cake and a slide show with some of our many memories with Eric.

Eric Tognazzini will be dearly missed

We have lost many loved ones and each heartbreak leads us to ask, will we ever be same without them? The loss of Eric Tognazzini is indescribable to the Johnny’s family. He has been a part of the woodwork since I bought the place sixteen and half years ago and I’m sure even long before then. He sat in the bar amongst the dust and the noise as we tore open walls and remodeled before we officially got our doors opened. He rode his bicycle to Johnny’s back in those days and we were always thrilled to see his smiling face. I believe it was the end of February or the beginning of March that first year when he told me that his birthday was June 1st. He reminded me about once every two weeks and by the time his birthday was in the two week stretch he told us daily. We had a grand fiesta in his honor and it began a tradition that lasted for sixteen years. As time went on he stopped reminding me and with all of my other obligations; and the onset of menopause, I almost missed a few. For his fifty fifth birthday we hired a hot tamale that was going to strip down to a bathing suit and fuss over him, which we knew would tickle him to no end. When the stripper failed to show up our some of his favorite girls; which included most of the bartending staff, and I did a little dance around him. We rubbed his head and kissed his cheeks and he squealed with delight. I think he relished our little show more than he would have enjoyed a hot skinny stranger. Eric loved being the center of attention and on his birthday he always was. I’m happy to say that the Johnny’s crew and clientele always made Eric a part of our family. We will miss him more than I can say and I assure you that his memory, his spirit, and the many Eric stories will linger on at Johnny’s forever. Our condolences go out to his entire family and especially to Kurt who cared for his brother in a way that many of us could only aspire to. We will be planning a special day to honor Eric at Johnny’s so look for the announcement on Facebook and at our website johnnysbarandgrill.com.

Boozefighters Spring National

I was honored that my friends the Boozefighters invited me to join them at the Spring National Event. It was held in Reno the last two years which was much easier to get to than Little Rock Arkansas but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. We were treated like royalty by Chapter 66 Bozzefighters and Boozettes. Flip was absolutely amazing. While being on the phone 24-7 making sure that the shuttles from the hotels to the club house were running smoothly he still managed to be at the beck and call of me, Dago and my sick pal Susie the entire time. Sue got food poisoning our first night in Arkansas and spent the entire time in our room sick as a dog.I felt terrible for her but there was nothing I could do besides supply her with ginger ale, saltine crackers, cheese and yogurt.
Dago was blown away by her 81st birthday party. She got so many presents that they had to ship them home for her. She was fawned over the entire time we were in Arkansas and I loved observing it. She is after all the oldest and quite possibly the only living original Boozette. We had a wonderful time and met lots of Boozefighters from as far away as England and Florida. The Boozefighters Motorcycle Club is the greatest bunch of people you could ever hope to meet and I am thrilled to have them as friends.
I'm so excited about July's Hollister Independence Weekend which promises to bring plenty of bikers to Hollister including my Boozefighters who are celebrating their 65th anniversary. Wino Willie would be proud to see how far his club has come. It is one of the oldest motorcycle clubs and is now international with chapters in Italy, France, and England. Boozefighters Up!

Arkansas here I come!

I'm headed to Little Rock Arkansas for the Boozefighters Spring National Convention.
I attended the National in Reno the past two years and had a ball and I debated traveling so far for this years extravaganza. The Boozefighters and Boozettes that I met in Reno from Arkansas made the invitation irresistable. They paid for my good buddy Dago's flight and room and we'll be celebrating her 81st birthday on Thursday. Dago was nice enough to let me bunk with her, even though me and a few Boozefighters woke her up at 4:00 am with a mini party last year. She's a real sport.
BFMC Chapter 66 has been so gracious already that I know they'll be treating us ladies like royalty. The Boozefighters are always so good to me and the entire Johnny's team and I love having the privleadge of hanging out with them and enjoying their company at the National. I promise to have lots of stories and pictures for you on my return. As always, Boozefighters Up!

Cinco De Mayo's Coming

May 5th is on a Thursday this year which means after chowing down on some great free mexican food you can join us for Karaoke. The party starts at 5:00 with mexican beer specials and party favors. We'll eat at 6:00 and Shane will start Karaoke at 8:00. You don't want to miss this party!

Bike Blessing a Huge Success

There were so many bikes on San Benito Street Sunday it looked like the good old rally days. I worked and didn't get to take part in the festivities but I heard wonderful things about it. The Top Hatters did an excellent job as usual and a good time was had by all. The weather was perfect for the event and San Benito County was loaded with riders taking in the great sceanery and enjoying the ride.





It was a great opportuity to spread the word about the Hollister Independence Weekend. We don't need a rally to honor our tradition as the Birthplace of the American Biker. Businesses and non-profits are getting together to throw a Hollister open house July 1st- July 4th and it promises to be a great time. Just to mention a few things we've got going on, there's the Top Hatter and the VFW poker runs, Corbins open house including vendors and demo's and my big birthday bash for Vern Autry, the only living Boozefighter I know that was here in 1947. Vern rode into Hollister back then on his Knucklehead and he's riding in this year on his customized Sportster. He's turning 86 on June 26th and he's riding for five hours to be in Hollister once again for Fourth of July weekend. God bless him. My 51 year old butt doesn't handle rides much more than three hours long on our comfy Road King, I can't imagine being 86 and riding a Sportster for five. Vern has more great stories about the old days than anyone I know and I can't wait to hang out with him.
So spread the word folks, Hollister's the only place to be on Fourth of July weekend if you're a biker.

An Outpouring of Love

The people that came forward to help with the benefit for Scarlet Renee Gil overwhelmed me. With less than eight weeks of preparation and some flyers dispersed around town we managed to raise $3600.00 for Scarlet’s medical needs. All the food was donated, cooked and served by wonderful friends. By 12:30 there was a long line of people waiting for their plates and to-go boxes. Everyone was cheerful and patient and thanked the volunteers for the great job they did. Our local firefighters even bought plates for everyone at the firehouse.
I was awestruck by the raffle prizes that were donated. There were no less than a hundred of them with everything from a ceiling fan, garbage disposal and golf clubs to gift certificates for haircuts, facials and the Gilroy Gardens. Studious people made thoughtful baskets full of goodies like the fixings for a dinner for two, and chocolate, champagne and a movie for a romantic evening. Businesses and individuals alike kept showing up with gift after gift and then proceeded to purchase hoards of raffle tickets.
Little Scarlet spent hours enjoying all of the people and never got fussy. We were all blessed by her smiles and laughter. The love and charity that filled the building was palpable and I was more humbled than I can begin to say. It would be impossible for me to thank everyone who contributed without filling many pages but you know who you are. God Bless you all.

Great St. Patty's Day

A good time was had by all on March 17th at Johnny's. Speaking of the 17th, that's how many Saint Patrick's Days I've had at Johnny's. Time flies when you're having fun. We sold 39 orders of corned beef and cabbage at lunch and the 60 pounds I cooked to give away to my faithful friends was gone in thirty five minutes. We were so packed it felt like the 4th of July when we used to have a rally. Shane was a patient man. It took awhile to move all of the tables loaded with people so he could set up for Karaoke. And folks were great about being asked to move too. We needed a dance floor after all. As usual I saw people I haven't seen since last years festivities but we saw a lot of new faces too. Enjoy the photo's and we'll hope to see you Sunday for the benefit for baby Scarlett. We're serving great BBQ dinners from noon until the food runs out and have a raffle too with all proceed going to help fund her surgeries.

Keeping Your Irish Eyes Local

Here is a quick read from Independent We Stand, about the importance of buying locally to support or local economy. We'd love to see you at Johnny's!

This St. Patrick’s Day Keep Your Irish Eyes Local!

St. Patrick’s Day spending in 2011 is projected to be approximately $4.14 billion*. If you spend your St. Patty’s dollars this year at a locally owned Irish restaurant or pub, a total of $2.81 billion would be reinvested in local communities across the U.S. If you plan on celebrating at a national chain, your local reinvestment drops to only $1.98 billion. This St. Patrick’s Day spread your green locally and help revive your local economy.


source: http://bit.ly/IrishEyesLocal

March Madness at Johnny's

What a week we've got coming up. Tomorrow we have Bunco and American Idle; let's watch our local favorite James Durbin make another cut, followed by our Saint Patrick's day bash with free corned beef and cabbage and Karaoke with Shane @ 8:00 on Thursday. Friday the Clampers gather for a spaghetti feed and meeting; you know they know how to party, and on Saturday our pal Bill Gonzales is celebrating his retirement from the San Jose Police Department. I'm tired just thinking about it but I feel very blessed. We're having an awesome year so far and I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us.

Don't forget our benefit for baby Scarlett on Sunday March 27th @ 12:00.

God Bless you all, we love you.

The blessings keep coming.

What a weekend we had at Johnny's. It started out with Kat's birthday celebration Friday night and just kept rolling. The Delta Company Guys stopped in to let us know that some of them are going back into harms way. Some of these guys are on their third and forth tour. Keep them in your prayers.

I had a lazy day Saturday; Jeana dropped me off at my house at 2:15 a.m. but the troops kicked butt without me. Poor Jeana had to be back at work at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and then she ran her tail off from the moment she opened the door. I thank God for wonderful customers and friends like Annie, Cliff and Nadine that jump in to help out. My crew couldn't do what they do without them and I certainly couldn't rest on my couch if I didn't know they were there helping. A huge thank you to all of you. I love you and am blessed to have you in my life.

Budman Memorial Run 2011

The 2nd annual Budman Memorial Run was a huge success and a great time was had by all. We had 41 motorcycles, four cars and a truck; that came in handy when TJ's motorcycle refused to start. Poor Boo Boo's shifter fell off and he never made it past Wright Road. It was a cold and foggy day and I have to admit that I was thrilled to be in my car with my son, Allen at the wheel. He scared the bejesus out of me a couple of times when we were trying to catch up with the pack but I was able to get some great photos because he was driving.

The Gustine Lounge very graciously provided chili and garlic bread to thaw out our bones and we'll be sure to make them a stop again next year.

The mood was somber at the San Joaquin Valley Cemetery; we all wished we were celebrating Russel's birthday with him as we did at this time for many years. We raised our beers to toast him and as the call "To Budman" rang out across the valley and we pictured him smiling down on us, thrilled that we rode in his honor.

We threw a party that he would be proud of and in the process raised $1100.00 for the San Benito County Food Bank. After the BBQ and raffle many people dropped their bikes off at home and came back with designated drivers to dance their socks off. When the band stopped at 11:00 we were all exhausted and happy.

I would like to thank all of the wonderful volunteers who worked so hard to make this event a success. We could not do it without you. There are too many names to list and I would undoubtedly miss someone and feelings would be hurt but I want you all to know that you are appreciated by the Johnny's family, the food bank and of coarse Budman.

Blessings Galore

January took off with a bang and continues to be fantastic. In this lousy economy with so much unemployment I expected business to slow down but God continues to blow my socks off with His blessings. I decided a long time ago to thank Him every day for all I have and everything He continues to do for me and I believe that it is a good practise for everyone. When you dwell on the good things in life the hurtles are much easier to tackle. As we kick off a New Year lets all be more thankful and thoughtful and make our crazy little corner of the world a better place to be.

Giants World Series Trophy Rally

Everyone was moving a little slowly New Years Day but we had a nice turn out for our Giants party. If you haven't heard yet we are trying to bring the World Series Trophy to Hollister. It is going on tour and all of the destinations have not been decided on yet. We think Hollister is full of Giants faithful fans that deserve to see the trophy up close and personal. In my sixteen years at Johnny's the night the Giants won the series was one of the best I can remember. The team spirit and camaraderie that rocked my bar that day was indescribable. We're asking that all of our fans let the folks in the Giants front office know how much it would mean to us to have the trophy here. Email your inspirational requests, pictures and videos to trophytour@giants.com.

Together we can make this happen.

A wild and fun filled week

It's been a busy week with lots of events and a great time was had by all. New Years Eve was awesome. We stayed busy all day and a record breaking 45 people joined us for dinner. We had a fantastic Karaoke with lots of singing and dancing. I had the unusual pleasure of having a lot of family here to ring in the New Year with. Hollister Taxi did their best to keep up; they had four cars and a van for larger groups, but when a driver flaked on them at the last minute it threw everything off. People waited for a long time for their rides and my family's non-drinkers jumped in and helped which resulted in a hilarious video. Hollister Taxi owner Liz felt terrible about the slow response time. I know how it feels to have people you are counting on back out on you at the last minute. I suffered severely because of just that problem through many motorcycle rallies. Thanks Liz for doing your best. We love you. It was one of the best New Years Eves ever and I want to thank all of the wonderful people that joined us. We hope you'll be back next year.