The 2004 Thunder in the Valley has rolled out of Johnstown. The five-day motorcycle rally attracted thousands of bikers to the delight of tourism officials. They attribute three factors for the strong numbers: great weather, the repeal of the state helmet law and word of mouth. All that, they say, made the 7th Thunder in the Valley the best one yet. It's estimated more than 120-thousand people came to town this year. That would be the largest turnout ever in the short history of the annual event. Johnstown tourism officials say they expected a large crowd but this one exceeded all expectations. "I think because Thunder in the Valley has gained a reputation as being a quality event. People come, they have a good time. They're gonna come back the following year and bring more people," said Lisa Dailey of the Johnstown Convention and Visitors Bureau. And Dailey says the bikers spend much more than the average tourist pumping an estimated 20-million dollars into the local economy. "We've just gotten so many positive comments, and businesses we talked to said their business was great. Crowds were great at their establishments." Many local businesses now consider the rally the biggest event on their calendar. "It was just a fantastic weekend," said Ralph Lovette of the Johnstown Brewing Company. The restaurant used special promotions to target the bikers, and it paid off. "Compared to a normal June weekend, we probably had 2 or 3 times the amount of business. It was busy from the time we opened until the time we closed." Bikers also flocked to local shops like Zepka Harley Davidson. Store officials credit the rally for their biggest sales day ever in the 60-year history of the business. And what were they buying? "Boots, helmets, leathers, anything that is biker oriented," said Rhonda Grasso of Zepka Harley Davidson. Other bikers picked out that shiny new Harley they just couldn't resist. But the biggest seller by far was one of the smallest ticket items. "It's kind of an unwritten rule whenever you go to a motorcycle rally, Sturgis, Daytona, wherever, everybody visits the local Harley dealership and you have to buy a shirt that is indicative of that area." And for the most part the crowd stayed under control. The Johnstown Police Department reports only a few minor traffic violations.