The first Pedaler’s Jamboree – Iowa drew 1,304 registered riders Sept. 5-6. The bicycle ride used the Raccoon River Valley Trail from Waukee to Jefferson and back to Waukee, with riders spending the night in Jefferson.
Most of the riders camped at the Greene County Fairgrounds. Hundreds of them ventured into Jefferson’s downtown area either to shower at the Greene County Community Center or in search of food. The local VFW and American Legion posts served a spaghetti supper Saturday and biscuits and gravy Sunday morning, but other food options at the fairgrounds were limited.
The ride was a rolling music festival, with live music at Dallas Center, Minturn, Perry, Dawson and Cooper on Saturday, and in Cooper, Yale, Panora, Linden, Redfield and Adel on the return ride Sunday. An addition 200 or so joined the riders for the concert at the fairgrounds Saturday evening.
The weather for the ride was hot and very humid, with the National Weather Service posting a heat index of 132 degrees during the late afternoon Saturday. There was a pleasant breeze at the fairgrounds, and least the grounds were dry. The grassy parking area, where many of the bicyclists camped for the night Saturday, was flooded by the rain that fell Sunday evening.
