Safety top priority during Hollister Freedom Rally

The Hollister Freedom Rally begins Friday morning and on Thursday night there was already a buzz around town already as bikers started rolling in. This year there’s more of an emphasis on safety following a shooting last year at the rally and a shooting in Waco, Texas.

The big rule this year will impact local bars like Johnny’s, as bars in the rally area will have to shut down at midnight instead of the usual 1 to 2 a.m. slot they are used to. Leading up to the big day, there was a lot of mixed reaction here in town.

“I’m excited to see all the wonderful people from all over the world,” Charisse Tyson, owner of Johnny’s in Hollister.

“Fort Worth, Texas. Rook me three days to get here,” Scott “blender” Thrash, a Boozefighter said.

“We’re about history, tradition and having a good time,” Jim Hull said, another Boozefighter.

You can’t mention the Hollister Freedom Rally without Johnny’s, the birth place of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club.

“It’s a bucket list for a lot of people,” Tyson said.

This year however, everyone, including the Boozefighters, can only fight the booze until midnight.

“We really wanted to, uh, to reduce incidents of DUIs, DUI crashes, all of the disturbances that occur late at night,” Hollister Police Chief David Westrick said.

Westrick said he sent his officers to other big events and they found it gets rowdier from the hours of 12 a.m. to 3 a.m.

“It’s kind of a drag for me because I am going to have to tell the people in line that you know at 11 o’clock, you shouldn’t even bother,” Tyson said.

Others didn’t seem to mind the early last call.

“Just because the bar’s closing, doesn’t mean the party’s over,” Trash said.

“By midnight, I’m probably going to be nighty, night. Haha,” Hull said.

Tyson said that usually late at night she sees the locals or the vendors who just got off working a long day and they usually don’t cause any issues. The rally begins Friday at 9 a.m. and runs through Sunday.