Which will be louder: bikers or illegal fireworks?
The Fourth of July weekend is upon us and what are we to do
without the annual clogging of downtown by bikers and T-shirt
vendors?
Which will be louder: bikers or illegal fireworks?
The Fourth of July weekend is upon us and what are we to do without the annual clogging of downtown by bikers and T-shirt vendors?
What if I want meat on a stick on Saturday or I want to check out the latest in old lady leather-wear? Let’s say I want a T-shirt that says Hollister and has a picture of a motorcycle on it; where am I supposed to go without the rally?
Local officials this week were taking a Zen-like approach to the questions, “Are you ready for the bikers?” and “Will they even be here this year?”
There were the “we’ll see what happens” responses and the “we’re ready for any contingency” quotes. Perhaps the bikers, upon whom many downtown merchants have come to rely since the rally became a mostly-annual event in 1997, will ride into town.
Perhaps they will stop by Johnny’s and park their bikes up and down San Benito Street. Maybe they’ll stop at AJ Sushi for some sake or go to 7-11 to pick up some Swisher Sweets.
Will they take the new Hwy. 25 bypass, missing downtown altogether, and head straight out to Bolado Park for the Gypsy Tour Motorcycle Classic sponsored by Dave Grimsley? Will they watch the city-sponsored fireworks show at Marguerite Maze School – or perhaps the citywide illegal fireworks show visible to anyone who looks skyward?
The answer to all of these questions is a resounding, “Uh, beats me.”
I have always liked having the bikers here on the Fourth of July weekend. It spices things up in these parts. Except for the hundreds of thousands of dollars it has cost our city in security expenses over the years, it has put Hollister on the map for something other than earthquakes and our non-affiliation with the clothing line that bears OUR city’s name.
The first couple years of the rally were really exciting for some locals and really scary for others. Some businesses closed shop the first year or two, not knowing whether we’d get the intimidating biker crowd or the middle-aged weekend warrior crowd.
It was a bit of a thrill to walk among the crowd those first few years and to rub shoulders with bikers. It was hard to believe that the streets of downtown Hollister could be so crowded and bustling.
In recent years, my family and I have, for the most part, avoided downtown during the rally, mostly because we’ve been there/done that. It was nice to know that downtown businesses – those that chose to stay open – had the chance to make some extra money.
But after all the bikers roared out of town and the final T-shirt vendors folded their tents, our city was left with a really big bill for law enforcement. Perhaps the Bolado Park event will partially fill the void and keep bikers and their dollars coming to – or at least through – town.
San Benito County is a great place for bikers to visit. From the historic Johnny’s Bar to the scenic rural roads to the amazing (though illegal) city-wide fireworks show our residents put on, who wouldn’t want to come back?
The bikers will come back year after year; they always do. The question is: will the city ever sponsor an event for them again? Time will tell.
In the meantime, I will spend part of my weekend at Little League all-star games in Salinas and the rest of my time hoping that the roman candles that my neighbors fire into the sky don’t land on my roof.
I hope the bikers visit, spend their money (instead of making the city spend its money), have a good time, and come back again next year.
