Sacred Heart Church was overflowing with black leather and skin
tight chaps, and the street was filled with shiny chrome and
roaring engines as the Hollister Top Hatters Motorcycle Club held
its 11th Annual Blessing of the Bikes on Sunday.
Sacred Heart Church was overflowing with black leather and skin tight chaps, and the street was filled with shiny chrome and roaring engines as the Hollister Top Hatters Motorcycle Club held its 11th Annual Blessing of the Bikes on Sunday.
“This is the beginning of riding season, so it’s a great way to get reacquainted with riders you haven’t seen over the winter, and get your bike blessed for safe riding for the year at the same time,” Top Hatters Road Captain George Villegas said.
He and about 600 hundred others gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday and have their bikes blessed by God. Before the liturgy and blessing, many gathered at Whiskey Creek Saloon to catch up.
“Many of us haven’t seen each other in quite some time,” Villegas said. “We’re constantly crossing paths on the road, so it’s nice to sit and enjoy each other’s company.”
Sacred Heart Church was so packed, people from as far as far as Oakland and as close as down the block, stood out the doors and down the steps. Many neighbors and community members who heard the thunder of the bikes came out to watch the precession.
Carina Olejnik, 8, sat and enjoyed ice cream with her brother and sisters while watching her dad pass through on his bike.
“They don’t scare me,” she said. “I like to ride them with my dad, but I don’t think I’ll ever have one of my own.”
It was clear what 13-year-old Pete Dela Rosa liked about the bikes when his voice was overpowered by the roar of the Harleys.
“The noise!” he yelled.
Father Rudy Ruiz, of Sacred Heart and Saint Benedict’s, joined the bikers for the first time this year.
“I love this tradition,” he said. “It says so much about this community. It takes those things that are secular, and gives them a spiritual aspect.”
Cruising on her brand new 2003 Harley Davidson Dina Low-Rider, Leslie Dabler came all the way from Valley Springs, near the Sierra Mountains, to have her bike blessed.
“Well, I just got it and I wanted to make sure it got blessed for safe riding,” she said.
She and hundreds of other bikers have good reason in wanting God on their side. In the past year, there have been 21 motorcycle accidents in just the Hollister-Gilroy area, and four of them were fatal.
Russell Bustos, of Hollister, has been riding for 20 years, and has had his bike blessed since day one. Once he receives his palm, he removes the one on his bike from the previous year, and replaces it with a newly blessed one. It doesn’t come off for 365 days, Bustos said. Call it superstition, but a blessing can never hurt, it can only do good, he said.
“I have two friends that skipped last year’s blessing and they both got in accidents,” Bustos said. “If you believe in God – any god – then a blessing is going to help.”
The tradition of the blessing has only been around for 11 years, but the presence of bikes in Hollister has been around for decades. The Top Hatters association got its start back in 1947, and since then has developed into a nonprofit. A few original members, who are now in their eighties, still ride.
“These guys are the ones who started it all,” Villegas said. “We got the name Top Hatters because they use to wear top hats to dances.”
Beyond the stereotypes of being gruff, aggressive and hell-raisers, the good deeds of the Top Hatters and many other motorcycle organizations make them somewhat saintly. Canned food drives, scholarship programs for local schools and Thanksgiving dinners for the elderly top their list of community services.
“Don’t get me wrong, we like to have our fun,” Villegas said. “But we do enjoy giving back to the community as well.”
Following the blessing, the Top Hatters and their guests from all over California enjoyed the beautiful weather and cruised to Bolado Park for music, food and fun.
