Thousands celebrate Hollister Independence Rally

Downtown Hollister was packed with people and bikes celebrating a tradition with a whole lot of history.

“It’s a result of the 1947 rally that ended here in Hollister,” said Randy Burke, managing partner for the Hollister Independence Rally. “Years later Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin made a movie about it called “The Wild One.”

At this year’s rally, bikes of all shapes, sizes, colors and prices are center stage on San Benito Street.

“We love it,” said Virginia Lopez, who rode in from Bakersfield.

It’s crazy, it’s wild,” said Gladys Rosales of Bakersfield. “Yea it’s nice, very nice a lot of bikes.”

It’s estimated that about 40,000 people will come to the rally this weekend.

All the extra foot traffic means big business for local bars and shops.

“I do a month and a half worth of business in a week,” said Charisse Tyson, owner of Johnny’s Bar and Grill.

Motorcycle enthusiasts could also enjoy vendors, live entertainment and other activities like riding demo bikes.

“We have some great new models that we think will appeal to younger audiences,” said Christina Kutsch with Harley-Davidson.

With the target audience of motorcycle riders traditionally being 50-years-old and up, some companies are marketing to younger people, women and minorities.

“Motorcycling is a fantastic sport,” said Kutsch. “It’s a lot of fun, so we want to invite all kinds of different riders to demo our products and take a Harley for a ride.”