JOHNSTOWN —
Every May, when soda prices drop right before Memorial Day, Capri Pizza owner Angelo DiRosa stocks up on cans to sell during Thunder in the Valley.
He bought 250 cases for this year’s event, expecting them to account for about one-third of his total sales at the local motorcycle rally that took place from Thursday through Sunday. However, at the end of the four days, he still had most of them because, for the first time, the Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Convention & Visitors Bureau granted one company, Bailey’s Concessions of Hollidaysburg, the exclusive right to sell nonalcoholic beverages.
Some vendors, such as DiRosa, were upset with the new arrangement. The bureau’s executive director, Lisa Rager, regretted the tension between local businesses and Bailey’s. She plans to re-evaluate the policy before the 2013 rally.
“If they ever consider doing this to us again – victimizing us like they did – I will never, ever do Thunder in the Valley again,” said DiRosa, whose local business has set up a booth every summer of the event’s 15-year history.
Vendors received the option to back out of their lease agreements if they wanted after learning about the beverage policy, according to Rager. The CVB entered the exclusive arrangement in the spring.
Rager did not disclose the specific terms of the contract, and a Bailey’s representative could not immediately be reached for comment.
“With the exclusive nonalcoholic beverage sponsorship, we were trying to guarantee a source of fixed revenue that we knew that would be in place to help with the rally expenses,” Rager said.
DiRosa gave away a soda with the purchase of a slice of pizza on Thursday. The CVB soon ordered him to stop providing free drinks.
“If you’re giving it as part of a purchase with a meal, you’re basically selling it,” Rager said.
Bailey’s also rented multiple spots and then subleased them at increased prices, according to Rager, which drew the ire of some vendors.
“It’s not something that’s not done at other events and other rallies,” Rager said. “We’re looking at that. I can say that there will be changes for next year’s rally.”
Additionally, the convention bureau restricted beer sales to the Broken Spoke Saloon locations at Peoples Natural Gas Park and the Train Station, meaning there was no alcohol at the Biker Mall, a usual hub of activity in past years. With people drinking beer and listening to bands in other areas, vendors in the mall, such as Brogies Bikewear, suffered.
“It was the worst year ever,” said Andrew Brogden, owner of Brogies, who plans to never set up a merchandise stand again after 15 years of involvement with Thunder.
“I’m not the only vendor that feels the same way.” He continued: “It’s funny, the CVB knows my phone number when they want my money for being a vendor, but they can’t tell me there’s not going to be any beer or entertainment. ... I don’t even want to talk to them at all.
“I might take it up as a legal issue.”
Rager understood why a couple of vendors felt upset but believed “some of the comments and attitudes have been vicious.”
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