Rally Committee won’t let the city use its Web site to advertise
cancellation
Hollister – After axing the city’s annual motorcycle rally last month, Hollister’s City Council is now charged with advertising the cancellation to those outside the community, however the Hollister Independence Rally Committee has refused to lend its Web site as a vehicle to spread the word to the masses.
In addition to disseminating the news through local media outlets, the city also wanted to put a bulletin on HIRC’s Web site to reach a broader audience, but committee members refused to help out, said City Manager Clint Quilter. HIRC’s Web site, www.hollisterrally.com, has been the main source of information on the rally for the last nine years, and Quilter, at the direction of Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller, wanted to use the site to make sure rally-goers know the event has been canceled this year.
HIRC Treasurer John Loyd had originally brought the idea of letting the city use the Web site to HIRC’s board of directors last month, but the board voted against the idea. In an e-mail to Quilter, Loyd said the board gave a “variety of reasons” for not letting the city use the site.
The dates for the 2006 Hollister Independence Rally are still posted on dozens of motorcycle enthusiast Web sites, many of which direct visitors to HIRC’s now defunct site, with no mention that the event was canceled.
The city put out press releases after canceling the rally and dozens of newspapers covered the story, including the Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury and San Francisco Chronicle, and several television stations broadcast the story. Quilter said the city has jumped at every opportunity to publicize the cancellation, but didn’t have any additional plans to spread the word.
