The second day of the Hollister Rally roared in with sunny skies and the classic hum of hundreds of bikes running down the city’s main street.
“The roar through the streets of Hollister is what it’s all about,” said Michael Snyder, owner of Leather Headquarters, a company that sells biker jackets and helmets at west coast rallies. “That’s what rallies are all about.”
Snyder estimated at least 20,000 people walked the streets of Hollister yesterday and expected equally large numbers Saturday, when he surveyed the crowds in the morning.
“I just think it’s nice you get all mixes of people,” he said. “You’ve got motorcyclists now, and later in the evening you’ve got strollers and families.”
Hollister Police Chief David Westrick and the executive director of the Hollister Downtown Association, Brenda Weatherly, could not confirm crowd counts by press time but confirmed there were “a lot” of people.
The morning started slow with small clusters of bikers, but the skies warmed to the low 90s in the afternoon and with the sun came the crowds.
“I’m not a very good judge of numbers,” said Charisse Tyson, owner of Johnny’s Bar & Grill. “All I can say is ‘ cha-ching!’ ”
Inside her bar, members of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club – famous for the 1947 Boozefighter-led invasion that inspired the movie “The Wild One” – gathered to pay respects to the remains of their founder, “Wino” Willie Forkner, whose ashes sit in a glass case on the wall just inside the bar door.
For Tyson, the July 4 weekend is always a good time for business because the Boozefighters return every year – rally or not.
“They make the trek here, even if they are the only ones that show up,” she said.
Outside the bar, a large purple Harley-Davidson was one of many bikes speeding along the city’s main street.
“That’s a beauty,” said Elaine Gooding, 60, as she watched the purple bike whizz by.
“Only a real man can drive a purple Harley,” said her friend, Donna Hernandez.
The bike’s owner was David McGovert, who took home the award for best “Ultimate Custom Bagger” in the Corbin annual ride-in bike show Friday.
McGovert spent at least $90,000 on the rig, which boasts a custom Lamborghini exhaust system and a larger-than-normal front wheel with a diameter of 30 inches.
“You won’t see another one like it here,” he said. “My whole life savings is in there.”
It’s the motorcycles – and the sound of their motors – that keep the bikers coming back for more.
Pierre Contival, 76, of the Top Hatters Motorcycle Club witnessed the original 1947 Hollister biker event when he was just 10 years old and his set of wheels was a bicycle.
“I remember it very well,” he said. “It was just a lot of people having a lot of fun but it wasn’t like The Wild Ones (movie).”
Contival is the proud owner of a motorcycle now, and his current bike has 80,000 miles on it and “still purrs like a kitten,” he said.
Look back soon for more coverage of the rally, including video of bikers and bands.
