The future of the Hollister Independence Rally
– the event that draws more than 100,000 people to Hollister on
the Fourth of July with their rumbling bikes and flashing chrome –
is hanging by a thread.
The future of the Hollister Independence Rally – the event that draws more than 100,000 people to Hollister on the Fourth of July with their rumbling bikes and flashing chrome – is hanging by a thread.
Monday night, three of four Hollister City Council members voted against extending the contract to the organizers who have made the rally roar for the last nine years. It was not hard to see coming.
The non-profit Hollister Independence Rally Committee has run the event in a less-than-professional fashion for years. They have trouble getting the vendors to honestly report their sales, which impacts the sales tax that the city can collect to offset the expense, and they recently turned in a hastily-prepared economic impact report that took council members little time to label sloppy and dubious. In addition, Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller is worried about the potential for violence between outlaw biker gangs and told the council he could not guarantee safety at the event.
So, where does that leave the rally this year? It’s not clear.
Council members left the door open to allowing another organization to run the event, and Dave Ventura, the former HIRC president who resigned earlier this year, has said he wants to take over the rally and run it as a for-profit operation. The trouble is he has not submitted a written proposal to the city that can be scrutinized by the public to determine if it is a viable alternative. And time is ticking.
Yet the council’s vote could be an opportunity at the same time. Competition for the rally contract could deliver an event that is well-run and does not create a financial burden for the city.
We are steadfast in our belief that the city should keep the rally. It puts Hollister on the map for thousands of people, it should be used as a way to market our city and county to tourists and it is a boon to the local businesses that chose to hawk their wares during the three-day event.
With it’s association with the classic movie “The Wild One” and Marlon Brando, Hollister has a built-in mythology that a clever organization and dedicated leaders can build into a rip-roaring, and profitable, success.
We hope that the council members who say they open to some sort of alternative arrangement – the same ones who voted HIRC out – are not just paying lip service to the idea of keeping the event.
We shall soon see. July 4 is coming up fast, and to organize an event of the Rally’s magnitude – and one that is better than what HIRC has provided – the city must move quickly.
