The throaty roar of motorcycle engines reverberating off the
sun-baked streets of Hollister began to die down Monday after three
days filled with the smell of exhaust fumes, fried food and a
carnival-like atmosphere only the Hollister Independence Rally can
provide.
Hollister – The throaty roar of motorcycle engines reverberating off the sun-baked streets of Hollister began to die down Monday after three days filled with the smell of exhaust fumes, fried food and a carnival-like atmosphere only the Hollister Independence Rally can provide.
The throngs of people teeming along San Benito Street seemed happy to be enjoying the beautiful weather, phenomenal bikes and scantily-clad women prancing down the streets or strutting their stuff on various stages. The leather-clad hordes – smaller than last year’s 120,00 by preliminary police estimates, but at least the same size according to Rally organizers who cleaned up all the trash – came from all across the country to revel in Hollister’s biker mystique, look at the flashing chrome and have a good time.
Every so often, the girls of the Leather & Lace Show would pose for pictures in front of Boutique De Lingerie on Seventh Street, congesting the crowd and blinding patrons with camera flashes.
But for the boutique’s owner, Jeannine Porteur DiVincenzo, the attraction brought plenty of people into her store to purchase merchandise sold specially for rally goers. The top-selling items included fishnet tops, pasties and candy bras.
“Sales are phenomenal this year,” she said. “Much better than last year.”
But frothy beer at the Hollister Independence Rally Committee’s beer garden, the various bands gracing the Sixth Street Stage and events such as the Wall of Death drew just as much attention as the bikini contest with its buxom contestants, or the food tents with their tri-tip, sausages and other meaty delights.
“Sitting in the beer garden listening to music and going to different vendors is the best part,” said Marina resident Chet Ancelet.
Ancelet and his wife, Jeanne, attended the festivities all three days and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. However, when they arrived Saturday evening he said the area was swarming with police officers around Monterey and Sixth streets because there was “some type of confrontation right here.”
Around 7pm, a group of between 20 to 30 members of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle club, who have had an ongoing feud with the Hells Angels, walked around downtown, escorted by about 40 cops flanking them on each side, according to Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller. Law enforcement feared there could be a confrontation between the groups this year and were out in full force in an attempt to curtail any problems. Although the groups had a verbal confrontation around Monterey and Sixth streets, officers stayed in between them and nothing physical materialized.
Ancelet said the incident wasn’t worrisome to him, but the fact that it looked like the groups were “squaring off” was intimidating.
“I imagine there would be some people it would worry,” he said.
But other than that, the event was three days of biker-related fun and games. Although the Rally focused on the motorcycles, the majority of people came to eye the riders as much as the bikes themselves.
San Jose resident Jim Hallmark, who comes to the rally year after year, said the main draw for him is watching the interesting and colorful people. And like every year, 2005 didn’t disappoint. By Sunday afternoon, there was only one thing that was different for him than in year’s past.
“I haven’t been throwing up against a wall,” Hallmark said. “Yet.”
And while some people just came to ogle the thousands of people, others came to decorate their bodies with tattoos or piercings.
Joe Aguilar, owner of Metropolis tattoo parlor, said his staff did about 40 tattoos and the same number of piercings over the weekend. Frankie Fumano, an artist at Metropolis, said his vote for best tattoo went to a young girl who received her very first tattoo and piercing Saturday.
“The trippiest one I did was for a 16-year-old girl who came in with her parents,” Fumano said. “She was tiny, about 4’11 and got a huge tribal and heart design on her back.”
But tattoo artists were only a small percentage of the 210 vendors present hawking their wares, cajoling people into their tents to check out their merchandise.
Vendors lined the streets, selling everything from leather chaps to saunas to legal advice, and raked in the cash from the thousands of people who migrated to the downtown area for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Although the Hollister Independence Rally Committee won’t have concrete numbers on how many were in attendance or whether the organization will end up in the black financially, President Dave Ventura said this year was at least as big as last year, if not bigger.
“We have a lot more garbage this year – it’s significant,” Ventura said. “That’s how you judge it.”
Police estimated the crowd didn’t reach the record-breaking numbers of last year’s 120,000, but Ventura said he believes it will at least break even attendance-wise. And due to a new system put in place for vendors, he said HIRC should make some money off the ninth annual event.
This year all the vendors who set up shop on city property had to fill out governmental forms so the state can trace the money they generated if questions arise when they report how much money they brought in. In the past Ventura said some vendors would skim money off the top, bringing down the amount HIRC and the city would receive in sales tax dollars.
“It (skimming) is always going to happen when you’re dealing with so much cash,” Ventura said. “But submitting forms to the Board of Equalization makes it easier to track the money coming into our area.”
HIRC members will begin tabulating dollar figures this week, Ventura said.
While Ventura said things ran smoothly overall, he said they plan to change the vendor check-in system next year.
Vendor Roy Austin, owner of Austin, Assoc. which sells woodcrafts, said many merchants had to wait nearly eight hours at the Hollister Municipal Airport Thursday night waiting to check in because the downtown streets weren’t cleared until almost 8pm.
“A lot of us weren’t happy about that,” Austin said. “I was sent a letter congratulating me for having my paperwork in for express registration. But if I had to wait almost eight hours for express registration, what’s express about it? But other than that it was a great show.”
Despite the thousands of people from all different backgrounds congregating in such a small area, many people noticed the event was calmer than in years past. But most attributed that to a much more apparent police presence.
“There could be less cops,” said San Jose resident Ron Hallmark. “It’s kind of intimidating, but if things get out of line it’s good to have them here.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
