Event for enthusiasts

CLOVIS - Without a music festival to bank on, organizers of the Draggin' Main festivities concentrated on making the greatest experience possible for car and motorcycle enthusiasts.

With the weeklong festivities complete, organizers felt it was mission accomplished.

"It was the best one ever," longtime organizer Gene Porter told The News. "The only thing that would have made it better is if we'd have had the music festival concerts with it."

Thom Moore, chair of the Draggin' Main committee, said the Saturday morning Gearhead Gathering at Hillcrest Park easily set marks for cars and motorcycles on display and in action. Organizers don't take in-person attendance, but reported being busy throughout the six days of events - four tours of Clovis drive-in restaurants, a Friday with a party in the park, the Saturday morning Gearhead Gathering and the Saturday night cruise up and down Main Street.

If the festival were any longer, Moore joked, he might not be able to find anybody willing to serve on the committee.

"We couldn't have done it without all of the sponsors and volunteers," said Moore, who spent his second year as committee chairman after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out mass gatherings and anything that would have been an official Draggin' Main event.

As it did in 2020, the committee made the decision to push back its planned music acts, including headliner 38 Special, to the following year's festivities.

Friday night's park party was the only new event, and its status for 2022 is up in the air when concerts return. But Moore said it would be nice to retain the party in some form.

"That worked really well, given it was the first year we'd incorporated the Harley Owners Group chapters," Moore said. "It was exciting and fun for all that attended."

Porter said he heard a lot of positive feedback about the special guests, Steve Darnell and Merlon Johnson of "Vegas Rat Rods" and Heather Storm of "Garage Squad." Nobody specifically told Porter the celebrities were the only reason they attended the Gearhead Gathering, but he doesn't see how it isn't the case.

"They had a huge fan turnout," Porter said. "It's hard to gauge how their presence at the show affected it, but if we were to base it off of the fan turnout at their signings I would say it was a large influence."

Porter said there will be some kind of wrap-up meeting in the next few weeks that will lay the groundwork for next year.

Law enforcement did not note any significant events arising from the festivities. The Clovis Police Department, Capt. Roman Romero said, fielded 99 calls for service from 7 a.m. to midnight on Saturday.

"That can sound like a lot, but we fielded 75 calls for service on June 12, a regular Saturday," Romero told The News. "I looked back to July 30, 2018, which was the last day of Draggin' Main 2018. That year, the Police Department fielded 158 calls for service. Overall, for the first time the members of our community could come together 'en masse' (in 15 months) things went very well. It was amazing to see so many people enjoying themselves."