Half Moon Bay International Marathon partners with Brazzle Berry!

The Half Moon Bay International Marathon (HMBIM) and BRAZZLE BERRY Half Moon Bay are teaming up to sponsor a Volunteer Drive for the upcoming HMBIM race. On Saturday, August 25, HMBIM staff will be on hand at the BRAZZLE BERRY Frozen Yogurt store's flagship location in Strawflower Village in Half Moon Bay to answer questions and to make it easy to sign up volunteers. In return, everyone who signs up as a volunteer will receive a FREE 5 oz serving of BRAZZLE BERRY frozen yogurt.

The Volunteer Drive will take place from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Saturday August 25, at Strawflower Center, 80 North Cabrillo Hwy. Suite M, in Half Moon Bay.  Volunteers of the HMBIM join with many others from the community to make the event happen, receive a FREE HMBIM shirt, and enter into a chance to win one of several local business giveaways.

"BRAZZLE BERRY is proud to support and be a part of the 2012 Half Moon Bay International Marathon event," said Barry Brazzle (or Dave Seaton?), Chief Berry Officer. "We recognize the amazing contribution the HMBIM is making again in 2012 and we are happy to entice people to come join in the fun with the best frozen yogurt around!"

"The HMBIM is very appreciative of BRAZZLE BERRY's support to sponsor the Volunteer Drive," said Eric Vaughan, HMBIM Executive Director. "In 2012 we're contributing over $1mm of direct economic benefit to the Coastside and the greater Bay Area by supporting the athletes who are traveling to the race, and we want the community to come join the fun and volunteer!"

The 2nd running of the sold-out HMBIM, to be held September 23, 2012,  features 1000 athletes from 35 states and 6 countries, along with world renowned athlete and author, Dean Karnazes, as the official guest of the race. The all volunteer force works together to ensure the race exceeds everyone's expectations, and sets a great example for Half Moon Bay as a community event. Full information on the event is available on the Web at http://halfmoonbayim.org.
 
About the Half Moon Bay International Marathon:

Featuring "26.2 Miles of Running Heaven", the Half Moon Bay International Marathon (HMBIM) was founded in 2011 to showcase the unique beauty of the California coast along with some of the best weather a marathon athlete could ever hope for. The inaugural event in 2011 featured athletes from 25 states and 4 countries and sold out in two months despite very little promotion. An official Boston Qualifier event sanctioned by the USA Track and Field organization, the HMBIM also focused on creating an eco-friendly event to consider the precious coastal community and worked to attain official status with the Council for Responsible Sport, receiving the coveted Gold Certification from this organization in the Event's very first year. The HMBIM features a full and half marathon and 10k and 5k events all on the same day.

About BRAZZLE BERRY:


BRAZZLE BERRY is committed to providing an unparalleled consumer experience by offering self-serve yogurt in a clean, natural and relaxing atmosphere. Motivated by the healthy alternative that all natural yogurts offer, and inspired by the Brazilian culture and commitment to the acai berry, BRAZZLE BERRY strives to establish a dominant market leadership position in the health food sector within five years.

While the rapid growth of the self-serve yogurt industry has put little differentiation between true healthy alternatives and phony impersonators, BRAZZLE BERRY believes in serving only the highest quality, all-natural and freshest ingredients.

Rouge Boutique Half Moon Bay

 
Come and shop in a nostalgic ambiance. Enjoy a fabulous selection of all the latest women's clothing, accessories, jewelry, music, humorous gifts and men's shirts.

Main Street Goldworks

542 Main Street
Half Moon Bay,CA 94019
(650) 726-2546
http://www.mainstreetgoldworks.com
Established in 1987 Main Street Goldworks is a family business providing excellence in craftsmanship and creativtiy, service and value. Custom design and repair are areas of expertise and they have an exquisite collection of designer jewelry. As members of the exclusive Independant Jewelers Organization (IJO), the largest training and buying jewelers' organization in the world, they strive to provide their customers with the brilliance they deserve and are able to purchase jewelry at the best prices in the industry and pass that savings on to their customers. This family of professional jewelers has trained at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts.

Half Moon Bay Wine and Cheese

 

421 Main St
Half Moon Bay,CA 94019
(650) 726-1520
http://hmbwineandcheese.com
Since 1998, The Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese Company has been the source for the finest collection of wines, cheeses and gift baskets on the San Mateo County coast.

We carry more than 800 boutique and specialty wines from all over the world, including a selection of hard-to-find local Santa Cruz Mountain wineries and more than 120 California and Oregon Pinot Noirs.

Jungletraders

 424 Main Street
Half Moon Bay,CA 94019
(650) 560-9955
http://www.jungletraders.net
Jungletraders is a gallery specializing in furniture made from recycled African railwoods and African art from virtually the entire continent. Although the gallery occupies only a little more than 1,300 square feet of space at 424 Main Street in downtown Half Moon Bay, it showcases literally thousands of artifacts, masks, statues, and furniture made from rich African hardwoods. The gallery is supplemented by an enormous warehouse which has many times over again as much inventory as can be contained within the gallery itself.

Coastside Books

432 B Main Street
Half Moon Bay,CA 94019
(650) 726-5889
http://www.coastsidebooks.com

Serving Half Moon Bay since 1972, Coastside Books has a carefully edited selection of current fiction, biography, history, science and nature, spiritual books and Children's literature.

They're known for carrying some of the best cards by small artists and design companies. Find eclectic titles for bargain prices on their cart out front.

Coastside Books has a great downtown location on Main Street in the historical downtown near coffee shops, restaurants and other great stores.

Shops and Shopping in Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay, located just 30 minutes south of San Francisco, is home to some of the San Mateo County coastside's best independent shops and stores of all kinds. Come for a stroll downtown, check out the Pillar Point Harbor, or explore the Strawflower Center. Have a look in our first-class bookstores, and gift shops. Discover gourmet cookware local wine tasting venues, fine jewelry, yarns from all lover the world, home furnishings. Need a squeaky toy for your dog? Custom golf clubs? A perfect gift for any woman? It's all here.

While you're out and about, stop for a cup of coffee, or a bite to eat at one of the fine restaurants. Whether you're here on a day trip or staying at one of the many wonderful Half Moon Bay hotels and inns, you're sure to find something special in one of our shops.

Looking for more activities in Half Moon Bay? Check out our selection of classes and workshops on the coast.
We'll see you here!

Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival

 

The Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival is an annual festival held in the coastside community of Half Moon Bay, California for one weekend during pumpkin harvest season. It is one of the oldest and largest local festivals in California. Proceeds go to local civic causes and to the beautification of the downtown area of Half Moon Bay. There is no admission charge for the event.

The annual event is held in October. Columbus Day Monday is the Safeway World Champion Pumpkin Weigh-in contest. The Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival is a two day event held the following Saturday and Sunday each year. Festival hours are from 9 AM to 5 PM both Saturday and Sunday.

Locations

The festival is located in downtown Half Moon Bay on Main Street between Miramontes and Spruce Streets. The Great Pumpkin Parade is held at Noon on Saturday and runs East along Miramontes, North on Main St, and West on Mill Street. There are two Music Stages, one at the South entrance and one located next to the Food Court in the IDES grounds. A Family Stage is located at 620 Main Street. The associated Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-In is located on the IDES Grounds at 735 Main Street on Columbus Day, the Monday prior to the festival.

History

The Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival began in 1971 with the formation of the Main Street Beautification Committee. The group was formed to raise funds for the revitalization of Main Street, which was beginning to show signs of decay. With an abundance of pumpkin patches in the area, the committee organized an old-fashioned harvest-style pumpkin festival. The first festival attracted 30,000 people. That year only one non-profit organization offered food for sale. The festival now includes dozens of local non-profit groups operating food and game booths, selling everything from pumpkin pie to linguisa sandwiches. Proceeds go to various civic and local causes and have included the construction of two parks, multiple scholarship funds, the installation of old-fashioned downtown street lights, the underground wiring of Main Street, and the renovation of City Hall.

The James Johnston House

 The James Johnston House, located on a rolling Half Moon Bay hillside overlooking the Pacific, is an architectural gem hidden in plain sight. It is also one of the rarest historic houses on the California coast, a "Yankee-style" white saltbox building constructed by Johnston for his wife, Petra Maria de Jara, between 1853-55. After languishing in a state of poor repair for years, local conservationists formed a foundation in 1971 to preserve this amazing structure, which is open the third Saturday a month from 11 AM - 3 PM for guided tours. There is also an annual holiday boutique two weekends in November where the rooms are all decorated and local vendors sell arts and crafts.  If you are lucky enough to be in the area when the house is open, you will be treated to a fascinating glimpse into Bay area history during the decades that followed the California gold rush.

Most people will drive by on Highway 1 without ever noticing this famous "white house of Half Moon Bay." We only stumbled across it while shopping one Saturday on Main Street and followed a few signs directing us to the parking lot on Higgins-Purissima Road (close to the HMB fire station). The rooms inside this gleaming white, green-shuttered homestead are furnished with some original items donated by the family as well as contemporary pieces from the late 19th century. Stop and admire the rose garden, the mother-in-law's personal chapel, the Victorian parlor, the kitchen and pantry, and the upstairs bedrooms. There is also a short video to watch and photos from the renovation process. The surrounding fields are still being farmed, making this place seem like living history. The tour guides, many of whom dress in period costume, are incredibly nice to visitors and staff a small gift shop that helps to raise money to support the on-going restorations. The foundation's web site provides all the relevant details for planning your visit and gives additional insight into the history of the Johnston family and the renovation process.

Another historical property from the 1850s is just down the road: the Burleigh H. Murray Ranch State Park , which has a unique 2-story dairy barn that makes for a pleasant short hike when the weather is right.

The James Johnston House sits on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, east of Route One, just south of the city of Half Moon Bay. Isolated, its silhouette is a remarkable sight against the rolling hillsides golden brown until the winter rains turns them green. The classic New England saltbox (two stories in front, one in back) was built by '49er pioneer James Johnston between 1853-1855, for his Californiano bride, Petra Maria de Jara. One of the first white men to visit the Coastside, Johnston (1813-1879) saw Candelario Miramontes's magnificent Rancho de San Benito and in 1853 purchased 1,162 acres from Guadalupe Briones, Miramontes's widow, for $14,000. His grand scheme and dream of a proper Yankee house, the center of an eastern-style dairy ranch, became real as he sent his brothers, Thomas and John, back to Ohio to round up a herd of eastern dairy cows and with brother William drive them across the country to "Spanish Town."

The Robert Mills Dairy Barn

National Register #90000120
Robert Mills Dairy Barn
AKA Burleigh Murray Park
Higgins Purisima Road
Half Moon Bay
Built 1889
The Gold Rush lured Robert Mills from England to San Francisco where he worked as a glazier. His projects included William Ralston's Palace Hotel and his home in Belmont. Like most of the men who prospered during the Gold Rush, Mr. Mills earned his money from trade, not gold. By 1862, he had saved enough to buy 1,100 acres in this secluded valley south of San Francisco.
During the next several decades, Mr. Mills built a house, a dairy barn and other dependencies to create a ranch. The landmark dairy barn, built in 1889, was originally over two hundred feet long and housed more than one hundred cows as well as tenants who had immigrated from England, Ireland, Italy and Portugal.
The ranch remained in the family for over a century until Mr. Mills' grandson and heir, Burleigh Hall Murray, died in 1978. His estate donated the property to the California Department of Parks and Recreation the following year.