Hollister City Council members Monday sent a roaring message to the biker community that officials plan to hold a downtown motorcycle rally for the next 10 years.
And while council members made the largely symbolic move Monday – meant to shore up confidence in the event and gain sponsors for the long term – city officials also agreed to start negotiations with the Hollister Downtown Association to oversee the event.
The HDA earlier this summer already linked with the 2013 rally manager, Worldwide Dynamics and CEO Mark Cresswell, in committing to a partnership for the next five years. The 2013 Hollister motorcycle rally – the city’s signature tradition – was the first in five years after shaky finances caused prior cancellations.
Mayor Ignacio Velazquez, whose election sparked the revived tradition, previously said after this year’s rally that he wanted to put its management out for bids. On Monday, he decided to remove himself from the council chambers while citing a potential conflict as a downtown property owner. Previously, he has voted on other motorcycle rally matters, including the initial decision to bring it back.
Interim City Manager Bill Avera mentioned there would be an early termination clause in any rally contracts, while he also noted that next year’s rally will be over three days, as opposed to the two days for the 2013 revival.
“Most important, it lets people know we are committed to this,” Avera said. “It will allow us to bring in major sponsorships.”
Council members were on board with the move.
Councilman Ray Friend, though, acknowledged there would be “bumpy roads over the next 10 years.”
Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia mentioned how the rally has spurred annual debates and indicated it is good to have a long-term plan.
“That way we don’t have to deal with it, number one,” she said.
The officially sanctioned biker rally started in 1997 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Boozefighters’ famed “invasion” of Hollister that inspired the Marlon Brando movie, “The Wild One.”
