The Hollister Independence Rally Committee met with downtown
business owners yesterday to hash out any concerns about the
upcoming festivities this summer.
”
I think this is a big opportunity for the city to make money if
we do it right and we carry it out right,
”
said Dave Ventura, HIRC’s new president.
Hollister – The Hollister Independence Rally Committee met with downtown business owners yesterday to hash out any concerns about the upcoming festivities this summer.
“I think this is a big opportunity for the city to make money if we do it right and we carry it out right,” said Dave Ventura, HIRC’s new president.
One new way to make sure Hollister does make its fair share will be requiring vendors to fill out forms showing exactly how much money they brought in each day of the three-day event. At last year’s event, vendors were supposed to have used cash registers to track income, but many did not comply.
“If they record very little income, they’re not coming back again. Because if they’re not making any money, we’re not making any money,” said Helen Nelson, the rally’s new executive director.
HIRC held its meeting to answer questions and address the concerns of downtown merchants at the Hollister YMCA yesterday, and plans to hold another meeting each month until the rally.
Now in its eighth year, the Hollister Independence Rally is a three-day celebration that will block off the downtown to all traffic besides pedestrians and motorcycles. Attractions include bike shows, concerts, food, merchants and entertainment. The annual rally was born of the city’s original Independence Day rally in 1947, when legend has it thousands of bikers descended upon the sleepy town and raised hell for the weekend.
The new version of the rally hasn’t been as rowdy as the original may have been, but there were still several other issues local merchants wanted ironed out before the Fourth of July weekend.
Rick Maddux, owner of Maddux Jewelry, asked Ventura and Nelson if there is any way to keep Sixth Street, known during the rally as Gourmet Alley, clean and odor-free.
“Downtown really needs to be ready for business on Monday morning,” Maddux explained.
Nelson assured the meeting attendees HIRC would be hiring a new cleaning company this year; one that uses all-natural cleaning products and that they hope will do a better job than companies in previous years.
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to get it clean this year,” Nelson said.
Nelson also assured downtown merchants HIRC would look into cracking down on rally vendors who camp out in front of storefronts in order to get a good spot before they’re actually allowed to be there. Nelson and Ventura suggested HIRC would buy a cell phone specifically for complaints from merchants with vendors squatting in their parking spaces.
Maddux also told the HIRC committee that as a member of the city’s gang task force, he was worried about the impression local youth have about motorcycle gangs.
“My concern is with young people thinking we’re putting motorcycle gangs up on a pedestal. The perception of a lot of young people is that the community shuts down and puts on a festival for them,” Maddux said.
Ventura agreed to attend the next task force meeting to explain to the kids that “most of the people who come to this aren’t in gangs, they’re earning six-figure incomes in the Bay Area.”
Sheila Stevens, owner of She’s women’s clothing store on San Benito Street, asked Ventura, Nelson, and Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller if anything could be done to stop the motorcycle racing around the downtown area in the very early hours of the morning.
“That’s a disturbance. If I did that, you’d arrest me,” Stevens pointed out.
Miller told her that unfortunately the Hollister PD is very understaffed during the rally weekend, but asked her to call if she heard any racing activity so the police could catch offenders as they moved on.
The next meeting will be held in April, although the date, time and location have not been determined yet.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jq*****@fr***********.com.
