Cottonwood is taking a different approach this year in planning for next month’s Thunder Valley Rally.
The annual event brings thousands of motorcyclists to Old Town for a weekend of music and good times.
This year the event is set for Friday through Sunday, Sept. 18 through 20.
After last year’s rally, the city decided to form a committee to help plan the event.
“Last year, there were some concerns with the promoter,” said Hezekiah Allen, special events coordinator with the Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department.
The committee is made up of several representatives from groups around the Upper Verde Valley, including those connected with motor sports, police and others.
“We wanted to make up a committee with neighbors in the Verde Valley,” Allen said. “Clarkdale and Jerome are our closest neighbors.”
The committee has also been working with groups like the Old Town Association and the local Verde Valley Fairgrounds.
Allen said the committee has a five-year plan to establish the Thunder Valley Rally as a successful event and that if it keeps growing, those neighbors are going to have to become more involved in the organizing process.
Allen said that the effort is going to take a while to become profitable but it’s already becoming a well-known event.
“The program is growing tremendously,” Allen said.
Local hotels are already booked, Allen said, and some have a waiting list.
Allen said the committee is planning on the event operating at a loss for the first part of the five-year plan.
“It takes about five years to find your formula, to build your brand,” Allen said. This year, Allen said the committee expects 10,000 people to show up in Cottonwood for the event.
The event will remain free to attend for the time being.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, Aug. 5, edition of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
