Hollister
– Sounds of revving engines filled downtown Hollister on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday, as the annual motorcycle rally returned.
Hollister – Sounds of revving engines filled downtown Hollister on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as the annual motorcycle rally returned.
The rally, the 60th anniversary of the city’s 1947 motorcycle invasion, was officially canceled in 2006 due to escalating public safety costs.
After taking a year off, the bikers and tourists came back in force. Organizer Seth Doulton of Horse Power Promotions said it’s impossible to get an exact count of how many people showed up, but anecdotally, he said this year’s event drew the biggest crowd in Hollister rally history.
Many visitors complained about the event’s new layout, but most said they were having a good time.
“We’re just loving it,” Luis Robles of Modesto said.
“I tell you what, we’ll be back next year,” added Annette Payan, Robles’ fiancee.
The varied crowd, dressed in everything from Hells Angels jackets to “Star Trek” T-shirts, had the opportunity to watch motorcycle demonstrations, listen to rock bands and shop, shop, shop.
But visitors said one key element was missing: watching the bikers cruise down San Benito Street. Some argued the new layout, placing vendors on the main drag, turned the event into less of a rally and more of a street fair.
“It seems like they took it away from the bikers and gave it to the vendors,” said Santa Rosa resident Gene Skiver, who lived in Hollister for 10 years with his wife, Linda, before moving eight years ago.
Hollister resident Craig West agreed that motorcycles need to be a more central focus.
“They need to create a space where you can just sit and watch the bikes go by,” West said.
Some of the events had a decidedly adult tone, with booths manned by scantily-clad women, and Saturday’s fashion show concluding with musicians stuffing dollar bills down models’ shirts. But still, there were plenty of children in attendance, and strollers were a common sight.
West brought his grandsons to the rally and said everything was within the bounds of good taste.
“You can go to Santa Cruz and see that stuff on the beach,” he said.
The rally has been a controversial event among Hollister residents. Some locals have described it as destructive and disruptive, but others believe it gives the town its identity and helps local businesses.
Ignacio Velazquez, owner of The Vault, has said he normally gets three months’ worth of business during the rally. On Monday, he said the weekend ran smoothly.
“For the first few years, there’s a learning curve,” he said. “The trick is knowing your numbers.”
Many tourists said this was their first Hollister visit. There were first-time vendors, too.
Lou Flores of Fresno-based Tri County Construction and Safety Supply said his trip was spurred mostly by curiosity.
“We just wanted to come out and see how it went,” he said.
His cooling vests were a big hit with bikers who had come through the deserts of California, Nevada and Arizona, he said. But he believes the rates for his booth in Fremont Park were too steep – $500 to rent the space, plus $225 for a permit from the city.
“We just about broke even,” Flores said.
It was also the first rally for David Dovidio of Buckeye, Ariz., whose company Double D Enterprises sells detailing products. Dovidio has attended plenty of other biker events. He said he did brisk business all weekend.
But money wasn’t the only thing that brought him to Hollister. Dovidio said his parents conceived him during the 1947 invasion.
“This is where it all started for me,” he said.
Editor Kollin Kosmicki contributed to this report.
