There is one thing that will change hands fast and furious at
the Hollister Independence Rally this weekend.
Cash.
There is one thing that will change hands fast and furious at the Hollister Independence Rally this weekend.
Cash.
As the Hollister Independence Rally Committee continues to prepare for the event, which is expected to draw more than 60,000 motorcyclists to the city and county, officials were unsure of their total costs for the three-day event.
“Off the top of my head I don’t know how much we have spent,” said Bob Beals, HIRC’s interim executive director. “But we do shell out a lot of cash.”
Beals said HIRC paid thousands of dollars for tents, $30,000 in advertising, more than $30,000 on permit fees to the city and $28,000 on entertainment.
“We pay the headliners cash up front,” said Beals.
Other costs that haven’t been factored are for extra security and clean-up after the rally.
“We spend several thousands of dollars on clean-up after the event,” said Beals.
Beals said it was difficult to generate any conclusive figures until after the event is over.
“I have to get through this one before I know what to expect,” he said.
According to city Finance Director Barbara Mulholland, the cost to the city for the rally was expected to be about the same as last year’s figure of $97,000.
Mulholland said the city has collected $45,000 in permit fees and of the $5.5 million generated from the rally, the city received around $55,000 in sales revenue last year.
“We pretty much break even,” she said.
Mulholland said breaking even was OK because the city still benefited from the motorcycle rally through the tourism the rally attracts after the event.
“On the weekends the city is full of motorcycles,” she said.
