Hollister
– The city’s Independence Day motorcycle rally isn’t just a big
weekend for bikers; the event also raises tens of thousands of
dollars for local nonprofit groups like the Community Pantry, YMCA
and San Benito County Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Hollister – The city’s Independence Day motorcycle rally isn’t just a big weekend for bikers; the event also raises tens of thousands of dollars for local nonprofit groups like the Community Pantry, YMCA and San Benito County Guide Dogs for the Blind.
This year, however, the beer garden – a big moneymaker for the Hollister Rotary Club, which distributes the funds to other organizations – is being taken out of Rotary’s hands. Instead, the event’s food and beverage service will be handled by Five Star Catering, a move that left some locals wondering if nonprofits would be left out in the cold.
Dale Yarmouth, who is a member of the rally’s organizing committee, said raising money for local service organizations is the rally’s main purpose.
“And that’s what they’re committed to doing,” said Yarmouth, who is also project manager at Emmaus House, a battered women’s and children’s shelter. “It’s going to be a banner year for nonprofits.”
Rotary President David Baumgartner told the Free Lance that when it comes to the rally, Rotary is still in “waiting mode.”
“We hope it will be as profitable as it has been in the past,” Baumgartner said. “We’re OK with change. We’re more anxious about the money staying in Hollister, and that looks like what’s going to happen.”
Baumgartner said the City Council’s cancellation of the rally in 2006 led to the loss of one of Rotary’s primary funding sources. In 2005, the beer garden made a profit of $30,000, which, in addition to supporting nonprofits, also funded academic scholarships for local high school students.
Lou Bettencourt, executive director of the local YMCA, said his organization has received money in the past from both the Rotary Club and the old Hollister Independence Rally Committee. It wasn’t a substantial part of the YMCA’s budget, he said, but “every penny counts.”
Rally promoter Seth Doulton of Horse Power Promotions said changes to the rally should actually benefit nonprofits. He said he doesn’t have a specific fundraising goal, but he estimated that this year’s event should raise “well above” past years’ numbers.
According to Doulton, Five Star Catering has set aside $11,000 specifically for nonprofits. The company plans to pay the organizations for their volunteer time manning the beer garden and working elsewhere as part of the rally.
Doulton said local groups will also be able to make money by running the rally parking areas, checking helmets and leathers, and by selling rally merchandise, which he emphasized can be sold year-round.
Horse Power’s profits will come only from vendors’ fees and sponsorships, Doulton said.
Rotary Club member Marilyn Ferreira said she’s taking a “wait and see” approach. She emphasized the event’s past importance to Rotary and, through the club, to all of Hollister.
“All the money … went back into the community,” Ferreira said.
She added, “I’m going to miss working at the beer garden.”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
