Welcome back party was a blast!

We all had a great time celebrating the safe return of the Delta Company and Wolfy from Iraq. The food was great and the band was awesome. The dance floor was full from the time the band started until they quit. One of the guys couldn't join us and he was sorely missed. He missed one heck of a party. We might have to plan another one just so he can participate. Some of these guys were on their third tour. We're hoping they are all home to stay. They served their country well. Remember our troops. They are spending their holidays stuck in the desert fighting for our country. Pray for them and send Christmas cards. Be there for the family members who are missing their loved ones. God Bless them all and God Bless America.

Veterans Day BBQ Benefit

Our Veterans Day BBQ was a huge success. We actually ran out of food for the first time. The support from the community was overwhelming. Our mural has been restored to it's original beauty, if not even better and the security camera has been installed. Funds from the BBQ made a huge dent in the costs incurred for the restoration. The parade was the best one ever and there was more support from the community for it than I have ever seen. I don't know if the Fort Hood incident or the newspaper article had anything to do with it but I hope this kind of support for our troops continues. Speaking of troops. Delta Company and Wolfy are home safe and sound. We are having a welcome back party on Saturday November 21st with a BBQ and live music with the Bomb Shell Bully's. The Party starts at 3:00 p.m.

Trouble

Many of our fans may already have heard that we had quite a bit of trouble last Thursday night during Karaoke. A group of disrespectful punks reeked havoc on my bar. I was stuck on highway 25 on the way back from a Wynona concert when all hell broke loose. The good news is we have eleven cameras covering Johnny’s and we have very good footage of the perpetrators. The DVD with all of their faces has been turned over to HPD. Our prayer is that they do something with it and arrest the hoodlums. Johnny’s has had a stellar reputation in this town for years and I have no intention of letting a bunch of creeps steal that from us. With that said there will be a few changes coming to Karaoke on Thursdays. We are skipping it all together on October 1st. Beginning October 8th we will have Karaoke from 7:30 to 11:30. This will make it easier for our Karaoke pals that get up early for work to enjoy a little singing and still get to bed at a reasonable hour. We will be enforcing a stringent dress code in order to weed out the trouble makers. I miss the days when people wore a cap because they wanted to support their favorite football team and a t-shirt was just a t-shirt. I know that the many wonderful customers that have shared Karaoke with us for years will be patient through these trying times and continue to show their support. We can’t tell you how much we love and appreciate you all.
We look forward to seeing your smiling faces and hearing your beautiful voices.

What A Rush!

I did it. I went skydiving, tandem of course for the first time. It was awesome. The folks at Adventure Center Diving here in Hollister were great. There is a bit of standing around and waiting but the ride is well worth the wait. My instructor Mako was wonderful. He has over 1000 jumps under his belt. He made me feel very comfortable and confident. The scariest part for me was the ride to 15,000 feet in a little plane with fourteen other people. I'm a claustrophobic you see. The climb seemed like it took quite a while and I was pretty much white knuckling it all the way. Once that door was open I felt great again. I worried about being scared when I was waiting to jump out of the door but I can tell you there is really no time to think about it. You are at the door and then you're out flying around in the big blue sky. Even Mako said we could not have picked a better day to jump. It was beautiful. Brian my video photographer did a wonder job. My only regret is that I didn't look up during the free fall. They say it is only a minute but it sure seemed longer than that. I was afraid to move my head much for fear of losing my goggles or bonking Mako with my head but I now know that neither thing would have happened. I'm going to go back and do it again as soon as I can afford to. I'll request the same team and this time I'll see more of the world by looking up.

Too Excited!

Between the buzz of my first San Benito County Leadership class yesterday and the fact that I will be jumping out of a plane sometime in the next six to eight hours I have been awake for quite some time. After tossing and turning for what felt like hours I figured I should just get up and do what writers do, write. My good friends Dave Blair and Gregg Bonturi have agreed to join me in my skydiving venture. Rumor has it Kathy Blair may join us too. We will be doing a tandem jump with the Adventure Center Skydiving Company in Hollister. If what they say is true we will be jumping from 15,000 feet. No wonder I can't sleep. I've been saying for years that I wanted to do this before I turned fifty. With the big 50 quickly approaching, December 9th to be exact, I'm getting it done with not much time to spare. My jump was donated as a raffle prize at one of our many fundraisers and all my tickets went into the jump jar. I am going to have to kick in another forty bucks because they say my certificate was for a 10,000 foot jump and now they are going to 15,000 feet. Some friends and past jumpers told me that we need oxygen at that height so I'll have to ask if I heard them wrong. I'll be back with an post jump update. Bon Voyage, or what ever they say when throwing yourself out of a perfectly good plane.

Town Hall Meeting

Tonight I attended the town hall meeting hosted by Congressmen Sam Farr. I have never really been a fan. His voting reputation when it comes to issues regarding small business in California is not one that I agree with. But, God Bless him he has held more town meetings than most of his fellow legislators. In fact 67% of Congress is too scared to hold town hall meetings. With everything I've seen on You Tube and the news I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I have to say San Benito County residents were very civil and well behaved. With the exception of a few outbursts from real riled up citizens it was a peaceful gathering of people with very diversified opinions. Mr. Farr was very congenial even when being yelled at. I may not agree with his politics but as a person he is OK with me. It's hard to say which way the crowd was leaning but it seemed to me that there were a lot more people worried about the government running our health care system than there were those willing to see them try. Don't get me wrong, I know the system is broken. It needs an overhaul. But in my humble opinion more government control is not what this country needs. Haven't they screwed things up enough?

Fourth of July: A Sentimental Success

Thanks to the Boozefighters we enjoyed the 4^th of July weekend despite the loss of revenue we experienced because of the cancellation of the rally. I am so thankful for our pals. They mean more to us at Johnny’s than I can say. We started seeing the green and white shirts and vests on Thursday July 2^nd. By Friday morning the bar was full of Boozefighters enjoying the chicken fried steak and eggs smothered in country gravy. Wind and Fire, a motorcycle club comprised of fire fighters also enjoyed the camaraderie, spicy Bloody Marys and good food. So many of the wonderful bikers I spoke with told me that as far as they are concerned Hollister is and always will be a tradition.

Friday night Los High Tops rocked the house. There was a lot of dancing going on and a great time was had by all. Those smart Boozefighters had vans with designated drivers to take them to and from Johnny’s and Bolado Park so they wouldn’t have to worry about drinking and driving.

Saturday started off with another busy breakfast. In the afternoon I noticed that we had quite a gathering of Boozefighters on the patio so I went to check it out. To my surprise they called me to join Snowman at Wino Willie’s monument and presented me with a trophy. Every year the group bestows a replica of the trophy that Johnny “Marlon Brando” won in the movie the Wild Ones to someone that has meant a lot to them. I was surprised and overwhelmed. Saturday night the BF’s had a band playing at Bolado so we had a quiet evening. As soon as it got dark we had our own fireworks show in the ally next to the bar. It was fun but when it was over I realized we were having the quietest July 4^th that I can remember, with the exception of 2006.

Sunday the Northern California Chapter set up camp again with their Custom Springer Softtail on a trailer in front of the bar. Lot’s of raffle tickets were purchased that went to help the Friends of Nevada County Military, a wonderful non profit group that does great things to support the troops and their families in their community.

Our good friend Steamer from the local Marina chapter made a beautiful display case for Wino’s ashes to replace the old one that has been proudly hanging at the front door of the bar for the last twelve years. In Boozefighter style we turned the changing of the case into a full blown event. Coach, also from the Marina chapter meticulously removed everything from the old case so that it could be placed in the new one. I told him that he has the hands of a surgeon. I was a nervous wreck because the picture in the case is the only one that I have of Willie during his July 4^th 1996 visit to Johnny’s. The transfer went off without a hitch. Before putting Wino’s urn into its new home every Boozefighter in the building touched the top of it. It was an emotional and touching moment. Without realizing it I was wiping the tears that threatened to roll down my face. We all toasted Willie with the “Boozefighters Up!” call and the party continued.

The Softtail was supposed to be raffled off at 5:00 p.m.. Because ticket sales had been so successful and our BF’s were real tired it was drawn at 3:00 p.m.. Dago, the only original Boozette I know, pulled the winning ticket. She was hoping it was hers and I was hoping it was mine but the lucky winner was Andy Anderson of Grass Valley California. Things pretty much wound down after the raffle and wesaid a sad goodbye to all of our friends. We look forward to seeing them all again next year as well as all year long.

Charisse Tyson (owner Johnny’s Bar & Grill)

Roadshow Magazine - Podcast Interview with Charisse!

Charisse is live at www.roadshowmagazine.com/podcast

Listen to this great interview conducted by Rupert Piston of Cartoon Thunder, on June 30th - just before the 4th of July weekend. And get the straight scoop from Charisse about the rally, the City and some good ol' history, too!

Without Rally This Year - Repeat of 2006

The following is a Letter to the Editor at The Pinnacle Newspaper, a local Hollister publication.

Without A Rally Will We See A Repeat of 2006

A reporter for one of our local papers came by Johnny’s to ask me about the fourth of July but I was out. He didn’t miss anything because I decided after my last interview that I would never do another one. I have been misquoted or have my words taken out of context. If my opinion matters at all I’d like to give it in my own words. I thankfully have a historic business that the Boozefighters and many other bikers will make the pilgrimage to, rally or no rally. What about the other businesses? The gas stations, hotels, grocery stores and many others that will feel the sting of the loss of the only event in Hollister that drew upwards of a hundred thousand visitors in a three day period, all those wonderful people with plenty of money to spend in our town. Some one per center motorcycle clubs showed up too. Does one percent mean the same thing to you that it does to me? What about the other 99%? Our police chief has used fear tactics for years to convince our city council members and city manager that he must spend close to $120,000.00 a day for law enforcement for our three day event. The two factions that he is most concerned about live right here in each others own back yards 365 days a year. They have no reason to wait until our motorcycle rally to have a clash. Common sense says that it would not be wise on their part. Law enforcement costs for the rally weekend have put it out of business. I don’t blame Chief Miller. He is doing what he honestly believes in his heart is necessary. If the cities safety was my responsibility and you gave me a blank check and said the sky’s the limit I’d probably go a little overboard myself.

You would think just one of our five elected council members would have the gumption to do a little research, look at the track record and dissect the law enforcement bill to figure out where cutbacks could be implemented. What about the helicopter that flies over head multiple times a day and night? Is that really necessary? I wonder how much it costs tax payers every time the helicopter leaves the pad. I’m surprised so many down town residents are supportive of the rally considering what they have to put up with. Why not send the helicopter out once a day for a head count and have it on stand by for an emergency. I will never be convinced that the reason we have not had any violent altercations during any of our rallies is because of the outlandish expenditures on law enforcement for the event. I have had the privilege of visiting with a lot of these dedicated officers and they are bored to tears. They don’t even understand why so many of them are here.

I believe that our city council has finally done it. They have finally killed the rally. The only city council member that ever went out of his way to save it was Robert Scattini. I also believe that he was the only council member with the business sense to see what the rally means to Hollister. He initiated putting together the 2006-2007 Hollister Motorcycle Rally Committee that I chaired and he was a dedicated member. It was the first time that the rally did not lose money in three years. It didn’t make a lot of money either. We had a dedicated promoter and many wonderful volunteers that helped to pull it off despite the huge law enforcement costs. It was a daunting task. The committee gave oversight on all issues and helped Horsepower Promotions make the 2007 rally a successful one. The committee stepped aside and let the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce take our place for the 2008 rally. That did not go real well. The Chamber was not aware of what they were getting into and they never called upon the many volunteers waiting to help. The Chamber was overwhelmed and uninformed and the rally died.

For the rally to work a few things would have to take place. The Hollister Downtown Association, San Benito County Chamber of Commerce and our city would have to get together and work hard with help from an experienced promoter. Our council would have to come up with a reasonable law enforcement budget. (No promoter is going to get involved in a rally if they are expected to hand over $350,000.00 for law enforcement costs.) The council came up with this figure not taking into consideration the money that is brought in from business licenses, permit fees and sales tax. Not to mention our entire economy being stimulated. Wake up please!

With that said I’m praying that we will not have a repeat of 2006. That was last time the city council canceled the rally. The CHP was called in to see to it that bikers and motorists alike did not want to venture out onto our streets or highways for fear of being ticketed for any minor infraction. Even bicyclists were ticketed all over town. Rumor has it, and I wouldn’t know for sure since no investigative reporting was done on the subject, that over eleven hundred tickets were doled out that weekend. I talked to numerous people that were sited for everything from not putting both feet down at a stop, something that would not get a second glance on June fourth, to having regulation tinted windows believed to be too dark. They beat those tickets. I would not be at all surprised to find that the city lost money on the citations given out that weekend because most were found to be ungrounded. Our courts were bogged down with cases that were dismissed. That might be another subject worthy of investigation.

On Friday June 30^th (the Fourth of July fell on a Tuesday) I started out having a wonderful day. I thought, “Great! Just as I thought, people are going to show up anyway.” By 3:00 in the afternoon the word was out. Don’t go to Hollister. There are more cops there than civilians and they are ticketing everyone. People in their own driveways who started their engine before putting on their seat belts were not exempt to the tyranny. It was a total embarrassment to me as a citizen of this fair city. Did I say fair? Maybe not. The bar phone started ringing off the hook. People from San Francisco to Santa Barbara were asking if it was true that everyone was being ticketed. It would have been better for my business to have lied to them but I could not. I’m not that kind of person. The weekend was a disaster. Many businesses lost thousands of dollars. What did Hollister gain from this experience? I’m hoping the sense to not let it happen again. In 2006 the city made money from vendors that set up on private property. In 2009 they won’t make a dime. In these tough economic times the powers that be in Hollister dealt us yet another blow. Will they learn anything from this experience? We will see. I’m not putting my money on it. If what I’m hearing is correct we will see a lot of motorcycle riders who don’t believe in breaking tradition. I’m hoping to see thousands of them. Our city decided not put out the welcome mat. Let’s hope they don’t compound it with a KEEP OUT sign. If you are one of the people that felt victimized instead of protected in July of 2006 I urge you to call, write or email your city council members and tell them that we will not stand quietly by and be harassed and made to look like fools.

Yours truly, Charisse Tyson

4th of July in Hollister!

In the midst of our preparations for what promises to be a ROCKIN' 4th of July weekend this year, we wanted to reach out to all you bikers and enthusiasts and hear your comments about what is, and is not, officially happening this year in Hollister.

What about the City's "de-sanctioning" (a term we've heard around town) of this year's motorcycle rally?

How do the folks who have attended the previous years' rallies feel about it? And of course there are the local people - residents and businesses - what does it mean for them?

Are your friends and fellow bikers talking about this?

Could this year signal a return to a more traditional way of recognizing and celebrating the birthplace of the American biker - Where It All Began?!

After all, people are still going to be coming to downtown Hollister, and people are still looking for alternatives like the Gypsy Tour Motorcycle Classic at Bolado Park for places to enjoy their time, spend their money and have fun!

We'll have more information for you as the weekend draws closer. And we would sure like to hear your opinion.

"Johnny's Hollister Idol" by Tambra

Hello Everyone...
Thought you might like this little poem I wrote and posted on facebook :)
Based on a weekly ordeal Cathy and I face every week...to go...or not to go. haha!!! And then the never easy decision..WHAT to wear!
Anyhow..
Thought you might enjoy it.
HUGS
Tambra.


"Johnny's Hollister Idol"

Karaoke, gawkers, dancers, drinkers singles on the hunt...
Some of Hollisters finest are hanging around out front...
A place indeed where everyone knows your name..
You might wonder why we head there, Thus goes our game.......

While you are in the shower put your voice to the test...
Do your hair and your makeup...Oh, forget about the rest.
Try on a million shirts amid the shrieks and screams...
Grab your dancin' shoes and your fave pair of jeans.

Drive across town to meet all your karaoke buds,
Enjoying a glass of wine or a beer with lottsa suds.
We dance and sing to songs we haven't heard in years.
We seem to HEAR good when we SING all those beers...

Karaoke @ Johnny's the way to end a long week
Dance, relaxing and laughing is exactly what we seek.
Cowboys, Bikers and Hollister girls sing their favorite tune,
A bunch of crazy "Johnny Idols" just howling at the moon...


See ya there..or BE Square :)))
Don't know the way?..Follow the topless mitsibishi with the C.ville pumpkin bumper sticker!! That will be me and Cathy en route!!!! Come see what all the fuss is about ...lol.

Tambra Nunley
Posted:
May 14, 2009

We at Johnny's, without a doubt, adore our people!

Update on Wolfy

I'm thrilled to say that I got to have a visit with Wolfy while he was home on a two week leave.

SSGT Basillo showed up Friday night with Wolfy in tow and was I thrilled to see them both. The Sarge was nice enough to let Wolfy spend the night at Johnny's so I could take him out on the town. I called his daddy Jonny to share the good news that his son was in town. He dashed right over when he was done working. We took Wolfy out for a couple of beers. I had to break Jonny's heart when he asked if his son was home for good. I told him that Wolfy was only here on leave was leaving the next day. I felt like I'd stabbed him in the heart. He's proud of his boy though. He had a nice evening of bonding and they said their goodbyes. For those of you who haven't read the Delta boys blog I'll tell you where our guys have been. In nine short months they have been to Wisconsin, Bangor-Maine, Dallas-Texas, and Chicago-Illinois just in the United States. They've been to Ireland, Germany and Kuwait. Their tour in Iraq has taken them to Tikrit, Kirkuk, Mosul, Bayji, Ramadi, Fallujah and Balad. I'm exhausted just writing it all down. Remember to keep our troops in your prayers. When the home coming is approaching we will let you know. There is going to be one heck of a party at Johnny's.

Memorial Update

We had a blast dedicating the monument to Willie. Wino's three surviving children, Patricia, Billy Clyde and Terrie joined us as well as grandchildren Dusty, Jessie and Megan. It was a thrill to have the family with us for this great celebration. This was Pat's first visit to Hollister and I think she was a little blown away by the impact her father had on the motorcycle riding community. To her, Wino was just Dad. Her folks were fun loving people who had lots of parties with a lot of wild and crazy bikers in attendance. I would loved to have had more time to pick her brain for what I'm sure would be some very interesting stories. This was Terrie's third visit I think. She and I have enjoyed many lively conversations. She is the youngest of the clan and has many great memories. Billy Clyde had not been back since he came in 1996 with Wino. From what I hear he had to be talked into coming with his dad back then. I know he's thrilled to have made the last trek to Hollister that his father would enjoy. There were not as many Boozefighters in attendance as we would have liked to have seen but apparently there were scheduling issues. The Northern California chapter was having their big annual Spring party on April 11th and since it was the Saturday before Easter many of the members had family weekend plans.

I had the privilege of being invited to the Boozefighters National Convention in Reno last weekend. My bartender, Kat and I hitched a ride with Tick's bride Nina. She and Coach's wife Cheryl were great travel companions. We all had a great time and Kat and I were treated like royalty. It was a ball being in a casino surrounded by green and white shirts. I hope they have it there next year. I'm in if they do. I got to meet Boozefighters from all over the country and had many great conversations about Boozefighter history. There is talk of having a re dedication during the fourth of July weekend that more Boozefighters can take part in. It will be tough getting all of the family back here. Patricia is missing a hip. Getting around is a tough task much less making a long road trip. There is the funds issue too but God willing we will pull it off. The Boozefighters are a determined bunch.

Speaking of the fourth of July. Yes it's true our unimaginative, wimpy city council has canceled our rally again. The exorbitant and unnecessary costs of law enforcement keep our rally from being a profitable one and neither our city manager or city council are willing to do anything about it. Sorry folks, I call them like I see them. If I had the time to be on the council I would see to it that the only event that brings more than 100,000 people to town every year becomes and stays a successful one. The council would love to see it stay as long as it didn't involve any work on their part and they aren't required to keep a lid on law enforcement costs. I don't even want to get started on that one. ANYWAY, the party will go on at Johnny's July 2-5 2009. The Northern California chapter of the Boozefighters will have a Charity Bike Raffle on Sunday July 5th @5:00 p.m. at Johnny's. We plan on seeing lots of bikers fourth of July weekend. The bar will open at 7:00 a.m. Friday July 3rd through Sunday July 5th. You don't want to miss this party!

Historical Monument erected to honor Wino Willie

On Saturday April 4th the Monterey Viejo chapter of E Clampus Vitus erected a historical monument to honor "Wino" Willie Folkner. If you don't know who he was you are either real new to the biker community or you've been hiding under a rock. We had a real good time with our Clamper pals and the Boozefighters that showed up to witness the occasion. It was a real interesting procedure to witness.

I will have all of the details for you after the dedication this Saturday April 11th. I enjoyed my visit with Terry, Wino's daughter most of all. She had so many great stories to share. One day I'll pick her brain and we'll write a book together. Come on down Saturday for a roaring good time with lots of Boozefighters and Clampers, there's a wild combo. There will be plenty of ice cold beer, a great BBQ and lots of photo opportunities. You won't want to miss this party.

Wolfy Update!

Email from our guys in Iraq direct to Johnny's - very cool stuff! We received this note today along with the 3 photos.

"Hello Johnny's,
Sorry some of the pics are taking so long just really busy here. Wolfy has been all over from Wisconsin,Maine,Illinois, Ireland to Kuwait. Here in Iraq Wolfy has been running patrols in Tikrit,Kirkuk,Mosul,Balad,Bahji,Tahji,Ramadi,and Falluja.. Wolfy is doing well and is our good luck charm. We have survived GUN FIRE,RPG, and IED attacks from the insurgents. Wolfy is now a combat vet.. All the guys are doing well and hang in here just counting down to go home to our families. We are all sad to here about BUD MAN our prays go out to his family. I will send more when I get a chance the Internet here is really slow and takes forever to attach pics to the emails. Thanks for letting us use him. Hope to be home soon to have a beer with all of you guys a Johnny's."

We are thankful for your service and for taking your valuable time to keep us updated! Stay safe guys! & go Wolfy!