A lot of things have changed in America since 1947
– the price of a new Harley, for starters.
Hollister – A lot of things have changed in America since 1947 – the price of a new Harley, for starters.
But the kind of people who chafed under the conservative social norms of that day – some would say today’s social climate is the same – are still with us, and still looking to their motorcycles and the open road for a small measure of freedom.
Most of them are riding Harleys, and most of them are coming to Hollister every year for the Fourth of July – just like they did in ’47.
And although he won’t be showcasing his skills in the Death Cage, Gil Armas still comes to Hollister for the Independence Rally every year.
“It’s kind of a tradition,” he said. “It’s something to do.”
Armas was one of the original motorcyclists who “invaded” the city in 1947, during the much-hyped July 4 incident that led to the legend and tradition we relive today. He’s also one of the original members of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club.
He’s living proof that old bikers never die, they just keep coming back to Hollister.
“(The invasion) was all stretched out of shape,” he said. “We just went from one bar to another, just like everyone else. But the damage had already been done. ”
This year, Armas, who resides in Orange County, is riding the same bike he rode 58 years ago, a Harley Knucklehead. For the better part of Friday he could be found at Johnny’s Bar, where he was reunited with old friend Dotti Howell, a Hollister resident who attended the original rally on the back of her uncle’s bike.
According to Armas, the first owner of that bar asked him to ride his bike into the building and up onto the bar. Aranas was more than obliging, spinning circles on the carpet as well and spilling oil all over the floor.
“Everybody was crazy then,” he said. “If it had anything to do with having a good time, Boozefighters were doing it.”
Today, the Hollister rally is still one of Armas’ favorites.
“Some rallies have a lot of tension,” he said. “Like a powderkeg about to explode. But Hollister is different. People want us here. Everybody is looking for a good time, and if it keeps going like this, we’ll always have a place to come back to… . It takes a special kind of person to handle a crowd like this.”
Armas’ club, the Boozefighters, was established in 1946 by Willie “Wino” Forkner. Far from motor-terrorists, the club is recognized for its charitable work on behalf of children with debilitating or mental diseases.
“Everybody looks out for each other,” he said of his club. “New members have the same traditional attitude– they’re just here to have a good time.”
