~by Taylor Bates for The Scranton Journal
RAGBRAI® (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) is coming through the county next week, and loose ends are being tied up to make sure the event is as successful as possible.
On Monday, July 23, the riders will pedal through Coon Rapids and Scranton after leaving Denison that morning. They will spend the night in Jefferson.
With the day in sight, questions may be directed to the Scranton planning committee chairs Dawn Rudolph, Melinda Hinners, or Dave and Cheryl Dideriksen. To reach them, call 712-652-3310 or call Scranton city hall at 712-652-3888 and leave a message.
The route has the bike riders entering Scranton on Highway 25. They will ride over the viaduct and turn east onto Madison St. Residents are invited to “people-watch” along Madison, extending a warm welcome to the guests. The bikers will then turn south on Main St where the vendors will be located.
While in Scranton, there will be plenty of options of vendors for riders to check out on Main St. Musical entertainment will be provided by Jam Time DJ Productions’ Dave Gallagher.
Vendors offering non-edible items will be Custom Tags with temporary tattoos and bike jewelry; Live the Ride with cycling apparel; and Ocean Breeze Massage offering massages and do-TERRA essential oils.
Peoples Bank will offer a charging station and the city of Scranton will have a trickling water station and a ride or walk through misting station.
For food and beverages, riders will have a variety of vendors to choose from. These options include:
• Greene County Lamb Producers: smoked leg of lamb, side, drink
• PAWS: bottled water and bananas for a free will donation that goes towards supporting the animal shelter
• Scranton United Methodist Church: pies, watermelon, water
• Three Blind Pigs: pulled pork, beef brisket, pulled chicken, slaw, salad, beans, cornbread, drinks
• Garden of Eden: chicken burritos, veggie burritos, fruit smoothies, protein smoothies, drinks
• Wine on Wheels: wine, beer and drinks
• Say Cheese: grilled cheese with bacon, smoked mac and cheese and drinks
• Iowa Sweet Corn: sweet corn, cookies and drinks
• Smokin’ G’s BBQ: breakfast items, brisket sandwich, smoke stack sandwich, pulled pork, nachos, drinks
• B Fabulous BBQ: salad bar, drinks
• Tender Tom’s Turkey: marinated turkey fillet, smoked turkey drumstick, turkey brat, smoothie, drinks
• Thelma’s Treats: ice cream sandwiches
• McSqueezin’s Lemonade: lemonade and bottled water
After riding through Scranton, the bikers will ride east on County Road E-53 for an overnight stay in Jefferson. With visitors coming in by the thousands, Jefferson is still looking for volunteers to host riders overnight. About 400 registered riders still need places to stay for the night.
The RAGBRAI committee states that hosts do not need to provide entertainment, food, transportation or any other amenities for the guests, just simply a place for riders to rest their head, either inside or outside the hosts’ home.
Visit www.JeffersonRAGBRAI.com to find the Housing Form. The housing committee will work with volunteers to find a group of riders best suited for the accommodations provided.
More volunteers are still needed to help with set-up and tear-down, to hand out maps and to answer questions about Jefferson. Volunteers are also needed for selling tickets, checking IDs, serving beverages and helping riders find their camping area, on top of many other things. Each volunteer will be given a special edition volunteer T-shirt.
In Jefferson, rider accommodations are:
• Showers will be located throughout town, including the high school and middle school, the pool and the fairgrounds.
• The high school will be a parking area and there will be tacos for lunch and pasta for dinner.
• The Bell Tower will be open until at least 10 pm, and for a $10 donation, a request can be made for a patriotic, sacred, or ‘80s song to be played from the tower, or persons can play the carillon themselves.
• The Thomas Jefferson Gardens of Greene County (just off the south side of the square) will provide a cellphone charging station, water and photo opportunities.
For more information about RAGBRAI in Jefferson, persons can email info@JeffersonRAGBRAI.com; housing@JeffersonRAGBRAI.com; vendors@JeffersonRAGBRAI.com; or visit Facebook.com/JeffersonRAGBRAI or www.jeffersonRAGBRAI.com
Tuesday, July 24, the bicyclists leave Jefferson on County Road E-53, passing through Grand Junction and Dana as they exit Greene County. The big pass through town that day is Ogden. The group will spend the night in Ames.
