Hollister Cancels July 4th Weekend Motorcycle Rally

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Hollister Cancels July 4th Weekend Motorcycle Rally
February 15, 2006 - KUTV - ktvu.com




HOLLISTER -- The city of Hollister announced Wednesday that the 2006 Hollister Independence Rally has been canceled by the City Council because of concerns over the cost of the event.

The annual motorcycle rally drew approximately 100,000 people to downtown Hollister in 2005, but it also left the city with a $250,000 tab for law enforcement, fire personnel, public works and other costs.

"This left the city with a general fund expense of over $250,000 at a time when the city is facing severe cutbacks and spending down its general fund reserve," City Manager Clint Quilter said in a statement.

The council voted to cancel this year's rally after the non-profit that has run the event since 1997, the Hollister Independence Rally Committee, said it would not be able to reimburse the city this year.

The Hollister rally gained national notoriety in 1947 after a riot in which bikers ran rampant through the town. The incident was the basis for the 1954 movie "The Wild One" starring Marlon Brando. The modern incarnation of the rally has been riot-free since it began in 1997.