A free community barbecue will be a part of the festivities of The Forge grand opening celebration on Sept. 7. Serving for the barbecue begins at 5 pm and will continue until the food is gone. Jefferson Matters: Main Street, Greene County Development Corporation and Greene County Chamber & Tourism are involved with coordinating this important event for Jefferson and Greene County.
Local sponsors of the meal include Greene County Cattlemen, Pork Producers and Lamb Producers, Fareway, HyVee and Deal’s Orchard. The Jefferson Kiwanis Club will serve the meal and the Rotary Club of Jefferson is providing the tables and chairs that will be located on the north side of the courthouse lawn under the shade trees.
The grand opening of The Forge at 204 E State St will begin at 4 pm with tours of the renovated facility. The official ribbon cutting event will be held at 4 pm. Educational sessions for parents and students on opportunities in technology careers will be held at 4 pm and 5 pm at the Sierra Theatre. A virtual tour of the new Iowa Central Community College Career Academy will be available in the lower level business center of the Sierra Theatre.
A program with guest speakers will be held at 7 pm on the north lawn of the courthouse. Speakers will include Gov. Kim Reynolds, Congressman Ro Khanna(D-Calif), Regan Lamoureaux, Chris Deal and others. Raccoon Valley Radio is handling the sound system for the event. The public is invited to attend and local residents are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.
Providing the free community barbecue was offered to add to the festivities keeping people in the downtown throughout the time. Attractions such as Thomas Jefferson Gardens, the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower, and RVP~1875 will be open along with many downtown shops extending their hours for shopping.
The city of Jefferson, Greene County, and Greene County Schools are supporting the day by providing facility needs.
With local, state, national and international media coverage of the opening of the first rural Forge, the expectation is for a huge crowd, and local residents are encouraged to attend.
The rain location is the Greene County Community Center.
