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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
INTRODUCTION
The towns that RAGBRAI passes through during
the day are as integral a part of the ride as the
beginning, ending and overnight host towns.
Therefore, we have prepared this handbook
precisely for the benefit of Pass-through Towns.
The best advice that can be given is from someone
who has experienced a similar situation, so this
book contains information mostly from towns that
have served the riders in other years. We
recommend you read the entire handbook because
of the valuable information contained in each
section.
Please call or e-mail the RAGBRAI Director at any
time with questions. The director will also be glad
to meet with your community to give advice and
answer questions during the planning of the event.
T.J. Juskiewicz, RAGBRAI Director
The Des Moines Register
400 Locust Street, Suite 500
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Phone: 515-284-8289
Cell: 515-371-3369
E-mail: tj@ragbrai.com
Scott Garner, Assistant RAGBRAI Director
The Des Moines Register
400 Locust Street, Suite 500
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Phone: 515-284-8483
Cell 515-229-4920
E-mail: scott@ragbrai.com
A BRIEF HISTORY
RAGBRAI® XLIII is our 43rd annual ride across
the state of Iowa. One of the participants of the first
ride in 1973 was 83-year-old Clarence Pickard
from Indianola, a legendary figure who is in part
responsible for the ride’s tremendous growth. His
determination proved that if he could do it, anyone
could. Last year more than 10,000 riders, young
and old alike pedaled the entire distance. During
the 42 years of the ride, we have traveled to 836
Iowa towns and spent the night in 127 different
overnight towns. RAGBRAI has visited all 99 Iowa
Counties. Riders enjoy the spirit of celebration,
hospitality and goodwill that defines Iowa.
Cyclists from your community who have been on
RAGBRAI several times can be an invaluable
source of information, as can the chairs from last
year’s Pass-through Towns who are listed in the
Contacts and Information section of this handbook.
After the event is complete, we will send you a
survey that we use to help prepare future towns. At
the end of each section, you might wish to make
notes during your planning stage and while
RAGBRAI is in town.
In the spring of 1973, Des Moines Register feature
writer/copy editor John Karras, an avid bicyclist,
suggested to Donald Kaul, author of The Register's
"Over the Coffee" column, that Kaul ride his bicycle
across Iowa and write columns about what he saw
from that perspective. Kaul, also an accomplished
rider, lived in Washington, D.C., and wrote from
The Register's Washington Bureau. This was an
opportunity for him to return to Iowa and see things
from a different point of view.
The people of Iowa share their communities and
themselves with this celebration on wheels. The
key to a successful RAGBRAI experience is total
community involvement. We're sure your
community will benefit in various ways when you
accept and meet the challenge of hosting riders for
part of a day when they pass through your town.
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune,
San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times,
Washington Post, San Diego Union, Miami Herald,
Kansas City Star, the Christian Science Monitor
and USA Today.
Kaul liked the idea but said he would do it only if
Karras would join him. The ride was set for the last
week in August, a six-day route was selected,
stories were written and the public invited. By
actual count, 114 riders made the entire distance
the first year. The biggest day had 500 riders
between Ames and Des Moines.
Major magazines such as TIME, Reader's Digest,
Sports Illustrated, Ford Times, Smithsonian,
Saturday Evening Post, National Geographic's
Traveler, SHAPE, Bicycling and many others have
offered coverage of RAGBRAI. Foreign
magazines including VELO Tonic in France, and
Sportrad and National Geographic's Globo in
Germany have sent reporters who have ridden the
ride and then reported on it in their magazines.
RAGBRAI officials receive many inquiries after the
articles are published.
When Donald Kaul resigned in 1983, Chuck
Offenburger, author of the Iowa Boy column, joined
John Karras as co-host. Chuck served as co-host
until 1998 when he left The Register.
Karras retired in 2000 with the 28th ride, and Brian
Duffy, The Register's front-page cartoonist and an
avid cyclist, joined the ride as host that same year
and continued until 2008. In honor of Karras, the
100-mile century loop will always carry his name.
One key to RAGBRAI's success could be Bil
Gilbert of Sports Illustrated who came on the
second ride and wrote enthusiastically about it,
prompting thousands to come. In 2005, Sports
Illustrated named RAGBRAI as one of the 25
Summer Essentials, things that absolutely must be
done before Labor Day.
The late Don Benson was associated from the
start, even before the ride was named RAGBRAI.
He provided distinguished and imaginative
leadership and council throughout his association
with the event. He retired after the 1991 ride.
Jim Green, or “Greenie”, directed the event
following Benson’s retirement. Greenie was
associated with RAGBRAI for more than 20 years.
He served as director for 13 years before retiring in
2004. A legacy of Green’s will be his initiative to
help create RAGBRAI’s Dream Team.
In 1986, the NBC-TV TODAY Show was on the
ride and in 1987 featured RAGBRAI on the Sunday
evening news. CBS Television included a report on
RAGBRAI XVI in 1988 on its Friday evening news.
The NBC-TV TODAY Show returned to the ride in
1995 and aired a live segment after spending three
days on the ride. And in 1997, former CBS reporter
Harry Smith rode part of RAGBRAI XXV that aired
on Travels with Harry.
From this humble beginning, RAGBRAI began.
Today it attracts participants from all 50 states and
over 20 foreign countries. It has covered
thousands of miles across Iowa. Hundreds of
thousands of riders have pedaled at least part of
those miles.
The networks have produced at least four half-hour
television shows featuring the ride. IPTV has
repeatedly broadcast coverage of the ride through
the years and in 1997 produced a RAGBRAI 25th
Anniversary video. The gourmet menus and chefs
of Team Gourmet have been featured in Saveur
magazine, Midwest Living magazine, and just
recently on the Food Network channel. A German
broadcast network joined the ride in 1996, along
with a news team from Rochester, Minnesota and
a large contingent from the United States Air
Force. In 2007, Chris Matthews of MSNBC filmed
Hardball from Cedar Falls during RAGBRAI.
A National Reputation
RAGBRAI is the oldest, longest and largest touring
bicycle ride in the world. More than 40 other states
have established rides throughout the years taking
their inspiration from RAGBRAI. These modeled
events includes bicycle rides in Kansas,
Nebraska, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee,
Florida, Colorado, Oregon, Maryland, Ohio, Maine,
Missouri, Illinois, Virginia, Rhode Island,
Minnesota, Delaware, New Mexico, Michigan,
North Dakota, New York, California, Washington,
Arizona, Wyoming, Mississippi, Texas, Kentucky,
Utah, Wisconsin, Indiana, New Hampshire, District
of Columbia, Massachusetts, North Carolina,
Cancun, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
In 2006, Lance Armstrong rode two days of
RAGBRAI propelling the event into the national
spotlight. Armstrong returned to ride in 2007, 2008
and then again in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
HOW THE RIDE WORKS
RAGBRAI riders come from all over the world,
primarily because of newspaper coverage and
articles written in newspapers such as the New
Each rider (and non-rider) pays a fee to participate
in RAGBRAI. For that fee, RAGBRAI:
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
Organizes the ride
Provides official RAGBRAI identification tags
Lays out the route
Works with the communities
Arranges for overnight camping
Provides portable toilets and hand washing
stations in the overnight town campgrounds
Covers the administrative expenses
Provides emergency medical service on the
rider route
Provides free SAG wagon service
Works with the Iowa State Patrol, county
sheriffs, the Iowa Department of
Transportation and County Engineers
Provides multiple baggage semi-trucks to carry
the riders' baggage
Gives each rider an official RAGBRAI patch
THE ROUTE
RAGBRAI Director T.J. Juskiewicz and RAGBRAI
Assistant Director Scott Garner plan the route in
cooperation with the Iowa State Patrol. Traffic flow
and county maps from the Department of
Transportation are used, and county engineers
also play a role.
The primary consideration in planning the route is
safety. Whenever possible, low-traffic paved
county and state highways are used. The second
consideration for a route is the inclusion of
particularly scenic areas to showcase Iowa's
beautiful countryside. County engineers have been
very helpful in advising us of such areas.
The Register does not intend to place any
community in the position of being forced to host
the ride, so we ask potential overnight communities
if they would like to be considered as an Overnight
Host Town. We contact city officials by letter for
the pass-through communities. More than 225
communities are on a waiting list to be included as
hosts.
After all expenses are met, The Des Moines
Register contributes profits derived from RAGBRAI
to non-profit organizations and causes within the
state.
The people of Iowa share their communities,
homes, and themselves with this festival on
wheels. The key to a successful RAGBRAI
experience is positive, total community
involvement. Your community will also benefit in
various ways when you accept and meet the
challenge of hosting the ride.
Sometimes it is necessary to include short
stretches of rock, gravel, or even dirt roads to
avoid busy highways. County engineers have been
extremely cooperative about blading loose rock or
gravel from those stretches just prior to the ride.
They've also swept loose rock from the pavement
at rural intersections and filled wide center and
lateral cracks on concrete roadways.
Maps detailing the week's route are distributed at
the campground Information Centers, and a map of
each day's route is published daily in The Register
to alert motorists and others so they can plan an
alternate route. RAGBRAI crew members mark the
bicycle route from the main campground to the
next overnight town’s main campground with
colorful orange arrows.
A separate route is laid out for vehicles
participating in RAGBRAI to keep them off the
bicycle route. Each day one of the Pass-through
Towns is designated as a Meeting Town to enable
cyclists to meet up with their support vehicles.
THE RIDERS
We limit the number of riders to 8,500 full-week
riders, and allow approximately 3,000 non-riders in
support vehicles. We also allow per day an
additional 1,500 riders with daily passes. It's
estimated that approximately 37 percent of all of
those participating are from Iowa.
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
by again offering a one-day wristband for $25 each
day. The one-day wristband was first offered in
1996, and we are pleased with the results we have
seen so far. Each daily wristband will be a different
color and will have the day for which it is valid
printed on it. The one-day wristband carries with it
the same privileges as the full-week band on the
day for which it is valid. We are optimistic that this
pass will help us move toward meeting our goals of
registering all riders.
A survey by The Register indicated approximately
58 percent of the adult riders are professionals
(doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, etc.); the
average rider is 45 years old; 66 percent are male;
and 34 percent are first-time RAGBRAI riders.
On the whole, RAGBRAI riders are extremely
courteous, friendly, and appreciative of the
hospitality. Some of the out-of-state riders will be in
Iowa for the first time and will return to the state
because of what they experience during
RAGBRAI.
WRISTBANDS
RAGBRAI participants are selected through a
computer lottery drawing and pay a $160 full-week
rider fee, $35 full-week non-rider fee, or a $25 per
day one-day pass fee. Riders and non-riders are
issued a different colored, numbered wristband to
be worn throughout the ride as identification as an
official RAGBRAI participant. Riders also receive a
baggage tag and a bicycle band that correspond
numerically with the wristband. Each rider and nonrider wearing a wristband has signed a RAGBRAI
Agreement and Waiver & Release of Liability Form
that is on file in the RAGBRAI office.
RIDER ARRIVAL
Some people feel they are above the system and
join the ride without paying the fee for wristbands
and vehicle passes. RAGBRAI officials did not
make a serious effort to discourage the "bandits" or
“renegades” from coming until 1990 when we
followed recommendations from past local
committees and participants to devise a plan that
sends a clear message that we don't want them
along. We ask your help in continuing the plan,
which goes like this: Riders wearing wristbands will
pay a discounted price for meals, swimming pool
admission, T-shirts, repair service, etc. Those
without wristbands should pay about 20 percent
more. For example: a meal would cost $5.00 with a
wristband and $6.00 without one. Bicycle shops
charge similarly. The extra money stays with the
organization involved.
Under ideal conditions, a biker can average about
10 miles per hour. The presence of a head wind,
high temperature and humidity, hills or rain will
slow down the riders. Even on a rainy day with a
tail wind, they'll still make good time. So watch the
weather and the clock and be ready early.
Most riders leave the previous Overnight Town
between 6 and 7 a.m. All riders are on the road by
9 a.m. They should be able to complete an 80mile day by 3 or 4 p.m. A typical day can last from
six to eight hours from the time the first riders
arrive. It is the goal of the Iowa State Patrol, the
ambulance crews and all other services provided
on the route by the Register to begin patrolling the
route at 6 a.m., and to discontinue patrolling at 6
p.m., when we encourage all of the riders to be off
the road.
Local residents should be given special
identification or tickets to prevent any
misunderstandings. Most towns also give the
discount to anyone wearing their town's theme Tshirt. In addition to offering discounts to wristbanded riders/non-riders, we also ask that you
discourage local establishments from raising
regular prices just because RAGBRAI is in town.
Let's be fair to the riders who do things right and
have the proper credentials. We need your help.
SUPPORT VEHICLES
To help communities alleviate the parking problem,
and to discourage participants from bringing
vehicles on the ride, a numbered vehicle pass
system has been established. Issuing vehicle
passes also helps control the number of riders. We
issue 1,500 vehicle passes each year. Your town
is in charge of traffic within your city limits. We also
advise that you have a uniformed officer to assure
a smooth traffic flow of support drivers entering
and exiting your town to meet up with riders and
friends that are all there to enjoy your town.
We are continuing with our steps toward having all
riders and non-riders register with us and pay a fee
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
RAGBRAI® TRADEMARK
GUIDELINES
advertisers who advertise in it MAY NOT use the
RAGBRAI name or logo in their advertisements
without The Des Moines Register and RAGBRAI’s
prior written permission. TV and radio stations may
broadcast live at a particular location during the
event; as long as an advertiser does not financially
support the time with RAGBRAI ads, i.e. "Stop in
for our RAGBRAI Sale."
The following are guidelines for Overnight and
Pass-through towns regarding the authorized and
prohibited usage of the RAGBRAI name and logo.
Legal action will be taken against any person(s) or
parties who misuse the trademark or use it without
authorization.
Advertising
General Trademark Statement
Use of the trademarks, such as the official logo, to
sell commercial advertisements or commercial
space and merchandise must be specifically
authorized in writing in advance by The Des
Moines Register. Normally, that authority is
granted as part of a Friends of RAGBRAI package,
where The Des Moines Register receives
contractual assurances as to the use of its marks
and the products or services licensed, as well as
compensation for such use of the trademark.
The marks and names, RAGBRAI®, RAGBRAI®
XLIII, RIDE RIGHT®, and "Register's Annual Great
Bicycle Ride Across Iowa™," are and shall be the
exclusive property of the Des Moines Register and
Tribune Company.
The RAGBRAI and RIDE RIGHT logos are
registered trademarks and cannot be used without
prior written permission of The Des Moines
Register. All authorized uses of these marks must
carry this notice: "RAGBRAI is a registered
trademark of and licensed by the Des Moines
Register and Tribune Company. All rights
reserved."
If a company that wants to use the RAGBRAI logo
or wants to sell or advertise goods or services
bearing the RAGBRAI logo or trademark contacts
you, please contact RAGBRAI at The Des Moines
Register immediately. You are advised that The
Des Moines Register has rights under federal and
state law which may be violated if you make an
unauthorized use of the RAGBRAI trademark or
assist another in the manufacturing, marketing or
sale of goods or services that use the RAGBRAI
trademarks without permission.
Only official RAGBRAI bicycle shops and select
Friends of RAGBRAI have limited permission to
use these marks on T-shirts and those promotional
items or promotional purposes approved in writing
in advance by The Des Moines Register and
RAGBRAI officials.
Simply put, towns can not sell nor giveaway
items with the word RAGBRAI on them.
A signal of improper and unauthorized usage is
using the name RAGBRAI in lower case. Because
RAGBRAI is an acronym with a special and unique
meaning, this usage is improper and would never
be authorized by The Des Moines Register.
News Purposes (by media)
The RAGBRAI trademarks may be used by news
sources (including newspapers, radio and
television stations) if the use is part of a news
story, but all uses must include the "®" symbol on
first reference. Official logos are available to the
media upon request.
The bottom line is:
The RAGBRAI trademark (be it spoken, written,
electronic, digital or in logo form) may not appear
in any advertisement or commercial use without a
signed agreement from the Register and RAGBRAI
officials.
Use of the marks in connection with the sale of
videotape highlights, sale of overruns or reprints,
operation of an electronic bulletin board or
computer data base (such as a web page), or other
business use, however, is deemed to be
commercial and therefore would no longer be
considered "news." Thus it would not be allowed
without prior written permission from The Des
Moines Register and RAGBRAI officials.
Signage
Use of the trademark is allowed in good faith for
signage used as a salutation, but, again, WILL
NOT be allowed in advertisements. For example,
"Welcome RAGBRAI riders" positioned on a
marquee board is a good display of a town's spirit.
However, signage that advertises a sale, i.e.
RAGBRAI special-Zap Soda Pop $3.25 a case is
commercial use of the trademark and will not be
allowed without prior written permission.
Simply put, your local newspaper may create a
bike ride special section (primarily so the riders
have an accurate map and a complete listing of
things to do/see and places to eat), but the
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
Promotional Item Giveaway
Only official RAGBRAI bicycle shops and select
Friends of RAGBRAI have limited permission to
use these marks on promotional items and Tshirts, or for promotional purposes. The print shop
or manufacturer as well as the advertiser/
customer will be held liable for any misuse of
names/logos. If you have questions, please
contact RAGBRAI at The Des Moines Register
prior to any use of the RAGBRAI trademarks or the
sale of goods supplied or sold.
T.J. Juskiewicz, RAGBRAI Director
The Des Moines Register
400 Locust Street, Suite 500
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Phone: 515-284-8289
E-mail: tj@ragbrai.com
Also include information about how your town got
its name, the most famous citizen, and town
"character”.
During RAGBRAI, Register reporters write daily
columns and photographers capture images for
The Des Moines Register that is produced each
day of the ride.
FRIENDS OF RAGBRAI
In cooperation with The Des Moines Register's
advertising and marketing departments, a program
was initiated in 1989 to provide a limited number of
compatible businesses the opportunity to be a part
of the ride as a Friend of RAGBRAI. The
businesses must fit into the total scheme of the
ride and not conflict with either the purpose of the
ride, or activities and businesses in the
communities along the way. Friends of RAGBRAI
usually set up in overnight host towns and will not
normally be involved in retail food sales, but if
there is a Friend with a retail food interest,
arrangements will be made with the cooperation of
the local committee.
The meeting town each day has been selected
to host the Des Moines Register reporters and
photographers. RAGBRAI will be in touch with
those select towns with more details. The
newsroom is looking for a small air-conditioned
private room to write their stories and send photos
and stories back to the Des Moines Register.
As your committee confirms it’s planning for the
day RAGBRAI is in town, it would be helpful and
interesting to send RAGBRAI a list of the activities
planned. You never know what will catch the
attention of a reporter to do a story about your
community. The deadline is May 20, 2015.
There may be a few friends of RAGBRAI that are
interested in having a presence in your community.
Michelob Ultra (Anheuser-Busch Distributors) and
Thelma’s Ice Cream Sandwiches are some of the
companies that will be contacting various towns
along the route and discussing their services with
select towns throughout the week. RAGBRAI feels
these companies offer an outstanding benefit to
those towns that they work with. These companies
will be in contact with towns directly.
RIDE RIGHT® PROGRAM
In 1992, The Des Moines Register established a
committee that developed a program called RIDE
RIGHT. This program promotes safer and more
courteous bicycle riding. The RIDE RIGHT
committee is composed of members of bicycle
organizations and safety officials from across Iowa.
THE REGISTER'S NEWS
COVERAGE FOR PASSTHROUGH TOWNS
The committee adopted basic rules focused not
only on obeying traffic laws, riding the right way
and keeping to the right, but also on having the
right equipment and the right attitude while cycling.
Another goal of the RIDE RIGHT program is to
help towns make themselves more bicycle friendly.
In the packet of materials sent to your city
clerk/mayor, RAGBRAI has included a form to
complete regarding the history of your community.
This information is used for a special RAGBRAI
coverage in The Des Moines Register that will be
published before and during RAGBRAI.
To help with your safety program, The Des Moines
Register will provide various safety materials.
Contact the RAGBRAI office at 515-284-8341 or
through the Web site at www.ragbrai.com to order
the safety materials.
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
Committees
people involved. This gives your town a common
base that has proven that you can meet your goal.
Getting Started
The first step is to select a RAGBRAI Chairperson
or Co-chairs to be the team leaders for your
community with regard to RAGBRAI. Chairs should
represent the entire community that will make the
RAGBRAI experience successful for both the
community and guests.
Determining the Right
Organizing Structure for your Town
There is no right or wrong way to structure your
organizing committee. You need to do what’s best
for your town. You know your town and what your
town can accomplish.
The second step is to consider passing a special
ordinance or resolution to deal with the many
issues associated with a visit by RAGBRAI,
including vendor fees, what to do about unlicensed
vendors, etc.
All towns should be prepared to provide the basic
necessities to welcome RAGBRAI riders to their
community. We recommend that riders should
have access to water, food, bathrooms and
shade in your town. Beyond these basics, your
community determines just how grand they want to
welcome the riders to their town.
A copy of a city ordinance passed by prior Passthrough Towns is included in the back of this
handbook and on the flash drive that you received
Some of the smaller Pass-through Towns on the
route have set up only Food Vendors and a
Beverage Garden (which is totally optional). They
might set up one organizing committee to handle
all of their needs. Chairpersons must determine
what it takes to do the job right and be dedicated
for the months leading up to the ride.
Selection of a Chair or Co-chairs
The primary mission of the town’s leaders is to
select a chairperson or co-chairs that will make the
RAGBRAI experience successful for both
community and guests.
We advise you to set up a budget immediately and
establish a game plan. Then follow a timeline with
specific completion dates for critical steps.
Appropriately building a leadership foundation is
crucial to success. Set clear standards to select
the right people and spend many days studying
and discussing potential appointments before
making the final choices.
Additionally, some Pass-through Towns
recommend that chairs attend a few meetings at
the nearest Overnight Town to get a better grasp of
the scope and preparations needed for the event.
Chairpersons’ Role & Responsibilities
Advice from previous Chairpersons of RAGBRAI
Pass-through Towns varies, but the top
recommendation from all is to fully read this
handbook. Familiarize yourself with all the duties,
options and responsibilities discussed in the
handbook.
POSSIBLE COMMITTEES AND
AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Responsibilities have been divided in various ways
over the years. Below is a list of possible
committees or areas of responsibilities that you
might consider for your organizing committee.
After reading this handbook, the chairperson or cochairs need to decide what structure will work best
for their town. No matter what the structure, the
goal must be to get everyone in town involved from
the kindergartners to those in nursing homes. If
you do this, RAGBRAI has been a success and
your town can achieve anything.
Beverage Garden
Organize and staff the beverage garden in the
community. (Beverage Gardens are optional)
Budget
Set up a budget as soon as possible and handle all
funds for the community. Coordinate fundraisers
and getting donations from businesses.
There are many different ways to do it. You must
choose what works best for your town. Most towns
do it as a total community. Some do it for a
community goal, new play ground equipment, fire
equipment, library or whatever. All the profit goes
to this goal. Some do it as a group and have one
community food stand and each group shares in
the profits after the bills have been paid. The
advantage of working together is that you get more
Communications
Coordinate all communication during RAGBRAI.
Will work closely with all organizing committees,
law enforcement and public safety officials.
Electrical
Electric service is so important for entertainment,
food and beverage service that a dedicated
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
electrician should be available to coordinate all of
the electrical needs during RAGBRAI's visit.
RIDE RIGHT
Address all bike safety concerns in the city and on
the route to the next host town. Will work closely
with the city street department, public safety
officials, county engineers and the DOT. Conduct
safety seminars for young and old residents, and
promote the RIDE RIGHT message the day of
RAGBRAI. Member of local and area bike club or
people who have ridden RAGBRAI before are
usually very helpful accomplishing these goals.
Entertainment/Special Events
Coordinate all entertainment - from special rider
involvement contests to live bands or DJs during
the RAGBRAI visit.
Food Service / Non-Food Vendors
Coordinate all food vendors and field requests from
individuals and organizations wanting to sell
products and services. We suggest that you keep
everything within your city limits. You will have to
adhere to all rules and regulations of the State of
Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals and
your local food inspectors.
Risk Management
Many situations can occur at your event, so don’t
let lack of planning ruin the day for you. Analyze
the risks that you face hosting RAGBRAI and
decide how you will handle each of them – avoid
the risk, transfer the risk or assume the risk and
minimize the size of the loss.
Hospitality
Involve the community in welcoming the riders of
RAGBRAI. Help promote the community theme
and organize the development and sale of T-shirts
and other memorabilia using the town’s theme.
Coordinate beautification of the community.
Sanitation, Toilets & Recycling
Coordinate trash and recycling collection and
rental, location and servicing of portable toilets for
the town.
Information Center
Many towns suggest each Pass-through Town
consider a designated Information Center for
people to get information and ask questions about
your community.
Volunteers
Arrange for total community involvement, from
kindergartners to people in nursing homes. Work
with the volunteers from the start and keep them
involved through the day RAGBRAI arrives.
Law Enforcement
Enforce all Iowa laws. Responsible for beverage
establishment security and hiring additional officers
if necessary. If your town doesn’t have a police
department, contact your county sheriff. A
uniformed officer should be on duty at all times.
Your town is in charge of traffic within your city
limits.
Web Site
Many Pass-through Towns set up a Web site or a
page on their community’s Web site to help
promote the coming of RAGBRAI. Many also set
up an E-mail address to answer the many
questions riders have about their town. Please
advise the RAGBRAI Director if you set up a Web
site so we can link your Web site to the RAGBRAI
site. Just email: tj@ragbrai.com
Medical
If you have First Responders or EMTs, you might
want to set up a First Aid Station. The meeting
town hosts the University of Iowa mobile
emergency room.
More details and a far greater explanation of some
of these committees and areas of responsibilities
are included later in this chapter.
Publicity
Coordinate release of information to the media to
generate local interest in hosting RAGBRAI. Works
to select a theme and a mission statement, as well
as making signs for the community.
Organizing Committee Meetings
After the organizational structure, chairpersons and
committees are determined you should hold
regular meetings leading up to RAGBRAI.
Public Safety
Coordinate traffic control, parking, civil defense,
street conditions and repair and other safety
issues. Will work closely with the local law
enforcement, street departments and RAGBRAI’s
RIDE RIGHT representatives. Create a written
Crisis Management and Severe Weather Plan and
forward it to the RAGBRAI office by June 1.
Keep these points in mind when conducting
organizing committee meetings:
Have an agenda
Keep meetings short, no longer than 1 hour
Take minutes at each meeting
Prepare for contingencies … ‘What if?”
Have fun!!!!
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
PLANNING TIMELINE
This is a schedule that worked for a town last year. Set a timeline that is reasonable for your community.
ITEM
Call to make an appointment with County Health
Inspector and Department of Inspection and Appeals
DUE
DATE
April 30
Web site up and running
(Send link to RAGBRAI – send to tj@ragbrai.com)
Marketing plan finalized (flyers, newspaper, radio)
May 10
Budget finalized
May 15
Determine how many volunteers are needed
May 15
Meeting to get Vendor packages assembled
May 15
Send RAGBRAI town information for stories that will
be written during the pre-ride (email: tj@ragbrai.com)
Town Meeting (Educates and excites people in town)
May 20
Clean Up Day
May 30
RAGBRAI Route Inspection Pre-Ride
(RAGBRAI officials ride through your town)
Meeting with Vendors & Health Inspectors
May 31 June 6
June 5
Vendor’s fees & proof of liability insurance due
June 5
Electrical meeting & assign vending locations
June 5
Vendor location map to RAGBRAI
Letter to Bike Shops on where to set up
Beautification Day
June 5
Law Enforcement Meetings in nearest
Overnight Host Towns
Volunteer Orientation Training Meeting
Walk-through to check risk management issues
Clean Up
June 22-24
Send thank you notes
August 1
Completed surveys to RAGBRAI
August 15
May 10
May 30
June 5
9
July 15
July 26
COMPLETION
DATE
Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
BEVERAGE GARDEN
of 25,000 square feet of space or roughly half the
size of a football field.
LOCATION
The size of the crowd in each town varies, so there
are no definite requirements on the dimensions of
your Beverage Garden. Example: If you have 200
square feet of empty space, you could service 20
people. If you have 50 square feet of bar and
tables in this area, you could only service 15
people. We advise you to allow as much space as
possible for the greatest comfort of your guests.
More space creates more comfort for your guests,
which may lead to a longer and more enjoyable
stay in the Beverage Garden.
Some communities host the Beverage Garden
while others allow a local organization or licensed
establishment to host it. Some communities
choose not to have a Beverage Garden at all.
Locations for Gardens vary from courthouse
squares to streets to used car lots. If the city hosts
the Garden, local pubs should be discouraged
from having their own outdoor Garden.
When selecting a location, try to limit serving
alcoholic beverages within a specific area that can
be controlled by as few law enforcement officers as
possible. Many communities have more beverage
establishments than they have law enforcement
personnel. Local law enforcement needs to
concentrate its force on traffic control and other
activities, not on trying to control rowdies in
Beverage Gardens that are spread all over town.
Fire Code & Capacity Limits
The State Fire Marshall is responsible for
determining the maximum number of patrons
allowed in a licensed establishment. It is the
licensee's responsibility to monitor the number of
patrons in the licensed establishment. Licensees
may not have more patrons in their establishments
than the allowable number designated by the fire
marshal. Fire code violations may result in
suspension or revocation of the license. There is a
possibility that the State Fire Marshall will be
coming along on RAGBRAI to check these limits.
Another thing to keep in mind is to select a shady
area, possibly in a park, or have it under a tent.
Think of your volunteers, as well as the riders.
Would you want to drink a beer in the sun if it is a
98-degree day?
WHAT TO SERVE/QUANTITY
If your city council gives an establishment, your fire
department, or anyone selling alcoholic beverages
an outside permit, the time of shut down must be
the same as agreed upon with RAGBRAI. Send
copies to the RAGBRAI office.
All Beverage Gardens serve beer and some wine
coolers, but it's imperative that you serve
alternatives. Don’t restrict your alternative
beverages to just pop or soda. More alternatives
could be fruit juices, coffee, or energy drinks.
Avoid serving beverages in glass bottles in
the Beverage Garden. If thrown, these
containers could injure a person when full.
Use plastic bottles, preferably recyclable.
It's a good idea to serve snack foods like popcorn,
chips, pretzels, peanuts, etc., in the Beverage
Garden. You'll want to discuss this possibility with
the committee members working with Food
Vendors.
Your local beverage supplier can give you good
advice on the quantity of all beverages. We
recommend that you have a written agreement
with the distributor to return unused supplies
because there are a number of variables that could
affect the quantity of beverages that you will serve.
AREA
The State Fire Marshall requires the size of a
garden to be approximately equal to ten square
feet per person for the maximum amount of people
expected, which can be from 1,000 to 6,000
including riders and visitors from other towns. The
rule of thumb to go by is 10,000 square feet of
empty space for every thousand people expected.
If you anticipate 2,500 people to come to your
Beverage Garden, you will need to plan for space
If it's cool and rainy, windy or hot, the riders may
be late getting into town, which would delay them
from coming to the Beverage Garden. Not as many
riders may come to the Beverage Garden if the
route has been especially difficult or long that day.
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
“Last town out” is a phrase that refers to riders
staying in the last town before the overnight town
to celebrate. RAGBRAI has agreements with all of
these towns that they will shut down their activities
at a certain time to enable the riders to arrive at
their overnight destination by 6 p.m. when all of the
RAGBRAI support services end. There is a section
in the back of this handbook specifically for the last
town of the day.
Criminal Penalties for Alcohol Sales To
Minors
When licensees (their employees and agents) sell,
give, or otherwise supply an alcoholic beverage to
someone under the legal drinking age, licensees
(their employees and agents) may be charged and
tried in criminal court. The criminal penalty
imposed by the courts is a serious misdemeanor
punishable by a fine of $1,500. When the violation
is committed by an employee or agent of a
licensee, the licensee and the employee or agent
are considered to have committed the violation,
and each must pay a $1,500 criminal fine.
ENFORCING ALCOHOLIC
BEVERAGE LAWS
Iowa laws regarding not serving alcohol to minors
are to be obeyed during RAGBRAI, and we
strongly advise checking IDs if there is any doubt a
rider is not of legal age. If a young rider gives the
excuse he/she doesn't have anywhere to carry an
ID because of wearing biking shorts, you must
refuse to serve him or her. If your community is not
prepared to properly control the drinking of
alcoholic beverages, do not do it at all.
Beverage Garden for Underage Youths
Under no circumstances should underage youths
enter the adult Beverage Garden, and because
parents may not wish to be separated from their
underage children, you will probably want to set up
an Underage Beverage Garden where only nonalcoholic beverages are served. Teens enjoy the
entertainment just as much as adults so many
communities have the entertainment stage outside
of the adult Beverage Garden and an area set up
with a double fence between them. Both groups
are then able to hear and see the band or other
entertainment. Some set up with a soft drink truck
straddling the fence so it can service both groups.
Or if snacks are available, they could be dispensed
the same way, making a natural barrier between
the two areas. Make sure you allow plenty of room
for underage youths to dance near the
entertainment.
If any establishment serves alcoholic beverages to
the riders, we suggest that a uniformed law
enforcement officer with local jurisdiction is on duty
the entire time the riders are there to avert any
trouble. The local establishment serving the
beverages should pick up the cost. Dangerous
activities such as beer slides are to be banned.
The RAGBRAI staff and the Iowa State Patrol
sincerely seek your help in getting all riders off the
highway by 6:00 p.m. So that all riders can be in
the next Overnight Town by 6:00 p.m., your
community should ask that all establishments
selling alcoholic beverages stop serving, and that
all entertainment ceases by the time you agreed
upon with RAGBRAI.
INSURANCE AND
DRAM SHOP LIABILITY
Licensing and insuring a Beverage Garden is the
responsibility of the sponsoring organization. Beer
concessions operated by volunteer organizations
have the potential for more local, state and federal
violations because volunteers are not always
familiar with the liquor laws and how to enforce
them. It would be disappointing if you planned a
Beverage Garden and saw a modest profit only to
lose it all and more in a lawsuit or fines for a
violation of Iowa or federal laws.
UNDERAGE DRINKING
Even though 99 percent of the people who
consume beer during RAGBRAI cause no
problems, underage drinking has caused
challenges in the past. It is highly recommended
that you recruit coaches, high school counselors
and teachers from local and surrounding areas to
check IDs. Many minors don't even try to gain
entrance when they see one of their teachers
stationed there!
Check with your police department or county
sheriff for local laws and the Iowa Alcoholic
Beverages Division for state laws before
proceeding with your plans. Contact the Licensing
Division staff (Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to
4:30 p.m.) at 1-866-469-2223 or
www.IowaABD.com.
After you verify that a person is of age, put a
wristband on his/her wrist to signify it's legal for
him/her to be in the Beverage Garden and to
consume alcoholic beverages. The wristbands
aren't to be issued to everyone, only to those who
are in doubt of being of age.
The Iowa Alcoholic Beverage Division requires that
anyone who sells, gives or serves alcoholic
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
RAGBRAI appreciates communities that work with
corporate supporters of RAGBRAI, but
communities are free to choose the beverage
company of their choice.
beverages must have a valid license for the
premises from which beverages are served and
consumed, and they must be covered by Dram
Shop insurance. You must present proof of
insurance when you apply for the liquor license.
Many organizations also purchase Rain Insurance
for the Beverage Garden.
BUDGET
How to Raise Operating Funds
If your local insurance agent cannot provide the
information and/or coverage you need, you can
contact Scott Ziller at McKay Insurance Agency in
Knoxville, Iowa at 641-842-2135 or via email at
sziller@mckayinsagency.com. He'll be glad to
advise you on your insurance needs. You are
under no obligation to purchase your insurance
from McKay Insurance.
Generally Pass-through Towns don't have funds
available for hosting RAGBRAI, so they use local
residents' ideas and creativity to generate funds.
Many communities sell a theme T-shirt to local
residents prior to RAGBRAI. (See page 4 for
RAGBRAI trademark guidelines) For added
revenue, some towns sell ad space on these Tshirts to local businesses. The theme T-shirt in a
different color is then sold to riders.
DON'T LET GREED BE THE MOTIVATOR.
YOU SHOULD GET ALL AGREEMENTS IN
WRITING AND KEEP A COPY OF ALL
AGREEMENTS.
Some towns have used a bank loan to get them
started with publicity. One of the smallest towns
sold T-shirts, 200 in advance of the ride and
another 100 during the ride, but don't count on
selling to riders unless you do it on the Web site.
MICHELOB ULTRA &
ANHEUSER-BUSCH
DISTRIBUTORS ARE THE
“OFFICIAL BEER” OF RAGBRAI
When RAGBRAI came through Plover in 2010, the
town worked as one to help raise funds to replace
the church’s roof. The church needed $10,000 of
repairs and the town was able to sell enough food
and drink to the riders to easily eclipse that amount
by working together. The town publicized what they
were raising funds for, which helped get the riders
excited about their town.
RAGBRAI is proud to announce that the Michelob
Ultra and Anheuser-Busch has joined efforts with
RAGBRAI as the “official beer of RAGBRAI”. You
will be contacted in the near future by
representatives of your local Anheuser-Busch
Distributor of Iowa.
ENTERTAINMENT
As part of their commitment to encourage
responsible decision-making and the responsible
consumption of products by legal drinking age
consumers during RAGBRAI, Anheuser-Busch is
offering to all RAGBRAI communities the following:
Entertainment is a big factor in getting the riders off
their bikes to spend some time in your town. Don't
spend too much money on bringing in outside
entertainment. The riders love local towns doing
what they do best.
Michelob Ultra and RAGBRAI will work
together on educational campaigns to promote
safe and responsible consumption of products
by legal drinking age consumers.
Work with community organizers to develop a
safe, responsible and profitable Garden that
adheres to all rules and regulations of the Iowa
Division of Alcoholic Beverages.
Work with community organizers to help
design your physical Beverage Garden
including fencing, serving stations, ticketing,
security, trash/recycling, promos and
giveaways and crowd management.
On a balmy day, riders have been known to stay
until mid-afternoon. Towns report that if you can
get the bikers off their bikes, they will spend
money, which is a main objective of the towns.
Besides a food and rest haven, towns during the
day provide activities such as tours of interesting
local historic churches, museums, train depots,
theaters, parks, rider contests, dancing or Karaoke,
or musical entertainment such as a "kitchen band."
It's very important to have all events in a shady,
grassy area or, if that's not possible, set up a tent
with plenty of tables and chairs so the riders can
relax. Boone used a multi-story parking garage for
their garden. Be sure to provide a place to get a
cold drink of water and fill water bottles for free.
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
single person who would benefit monetarily from it.
If a written contract is made with the DJs, be sure
that your town’s shut down time is reflected in the
agreement. If you have concerns in this area,
please contact the RAGBRAI Director immediately.
Music Responsibility Clearance
All USERS of copyrighted musical material are
required to enter into a contract relationship with
both ASCAP (American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers) and BMI (Broadcast
Music, Inc.). These organizations represent the
people who write the music and hold the
copyrights. They collect and distribute rights fees.
Note that the operative word is USER. Because
copyright laws are federal in nature, they extend to
ALL users of music: radio, television, concerts,
jukebox, dance DJs and to festival type of
entertainment such as RAGBRAI®.
#1 GOAL:
MAKE THEM GET
OFF THEIR BIKES
BMI bases its fee structure on a percentage of
entertainment costs - the fees that your committee
is paying to bands, performers, orchestras, DJs,
etc. Gratis entertainment is not figured into the
percentage, but there is a minimum fee assessed
for the entire line-up. There appears to be a nonprofit rate as well.
This is your big opportunity to educate Iowans and
others about your town's historical significance.
While many riders may not take the time for a
lengthy tour of a historical building, they would
probably be interested in browsing through
displays of historical photos and memorabilia set
up near food stands and near other entertainment.
Towns may want to make note of previous years
RAGBRAI has passed through their community.
Many of the towns choose to use DJs. Be careful
about your choice of DJs. In other words, make
sure you know what they are about. If a written
contract is made with DJs, be sure that your town’s
shut down time is reflected in the agreement and
the music stops at the designated time.
The official RAGBRAI shut down times exist for the
purpose of allowing riders enough time to get to
their overnight destination by 6 p.m., when all of
the RAGBRAI support services end. We must
emphasis rider safety versus greed. Make sure
the choices regarding this type of entertainment
are made as a committee decision and not by a
ASCAP has several ways to calculate fees. They
use audience estimates, percentage of gross
revenue or charge government municipalities an
annual fee for services. Your community may
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
have already paid ASCAP for the annual license
fees, so you should inquire to check your status.
ordinance passed by prior Pass-through Towns is
included in the back of this handbook.
The USER of the music is not the same as the
PROVIDER or PERFORMER of the music.
Besides, the performers will just mark up their fee
to cover the copyright costs and you will ultimately
pay for it anyway.
Vendors Outside of City Limits
The following information is sent to those who
contact RAGBRAI about how they can become a
vendor but not set up in a town.
Vendors choosing to set up outside of city limits
must obtain permission from the person whose
property they are on. Vendors should also check
with the county regarding any ordinances that may
be in place.
Any vendor selling food shall comply with the Iowa
Department of Health and County Department of
Health rules and regulations pertaining to the sale
and dispensing of food for consumption. They
must also have an Iowa Sales Tax Permit if they
are a for-profit company.
Additionally for safety reasons, the vendor should
set up on the right-hand side of the road and allow
enough room to allow for bicycle stopping and
parking. It is their duty to allow adequate space to
keep stopped bikers off the road and out of the
way of other riders. Again, those vendors setting
up without proper permission or proper
documentation may be asked to leave by the
property owner or by state or county health
officials. If the location selected by the vendor
creates a safety or health risk, law enforcement
officials may require the vendor to move.
For more information, please go to their home
pages.
ASCAP: www.ascap.org
Or call 800-910-7347, ext. 55
BMI: www.bmi.com
Or call 1-800-925-8451
VENDORS
Benefitting Local Community
Many communities work together as one group to
feed the masses and share the profits. Others
divide up and work as their churches, school,
volunteer firefighters or the American Legion.
Most towns charged vending fees of $300-$400
for vendors that want to set up in your
community. These fees will typically cover the
costs of your toilets and the entertainment.
There are no vendors that are affiliated with
RAGBRAI that are given permission to "follow"
RAGBRAI across the state. We ask that you
consider allowing our Friends of RAGBRAI into
your community, but that is up to your community.
Friends that may contact you about setting up in
your community include Michelob Ultra and
Thelma’s Treats. Do not be fooled by anyone who
tells you that they are “official” RAGBRAI vendors.
Any vendor wishing to sell alcohol must meet
state vending standards.
For information about obtaining an Iowa Sales Tax
Permit, contact Larry Fox of the Iowa Department
of Revenue and Finance at (515) 281-3114.
For information about obtaining food services
license, contact the Food and Consumer Safety
Bureau, Inspections Division www.dia.iowa.gov
or your local county inspection office.
Most Pass-through Towns pass a city ordinance to
regulate vending in their town. A copy of a city
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
Town constructed a watering pipe from a PVC pipe
with holes drilled in it and attached it to a fire
hydrant. They left the water running most of the
day to keep the water cold and for quick bottle fills.
Several locations in town also gave free ice water.
Proof of Liability Insurance
Additionally, all vendors in Pass-through Towns,
whether they are food or non-food, must show
proof of liability insurance. This is for your town's
protection and for the riders' safety. Material we
mail to official RAGBRAI participants strongly
recommends that riders patronize only vendors
displaying posters that state "OFFICIAL RAGBRAI
VENDOR" to help keep interlopers from benefiting
from sales that should benefit only local
organizations. The RAGBRAI office will furnish the
posters prior to the start of the ride.
A sample Vendor Application is included at the end
of this section.
Vendor Locations Within City Limits
Location is one of the most important factors to
consider when setting up concessions. Everyone
should be set up in the same location.
If you can get the riders off their bikes, they will
spend time and money in your town. Riders
won't leave the route to hunt for a concession,
especially if all the other concessions are together.
If riders will encounter a hill after leaving your
concession, they will not stop. Other factors that
can keep a rider from stopping include the
weather, lack of rest rooms, lack of signage in
advance, lack of visibility of your concession or
crossing traffic.
Most cyclists carry two 21-ounce water bottles and
fill both at each stop. Cyclists should drink one
water bottle every hour. Approximately 350 gallons
of water needed for 1,600 cyclists is computed as
follows:
Entertainment is an attention getter. If you have
music, dancing, tours of local points of interest,
carriage rides, a glockenspiel playing, polka band
or any unusual event, the riders are more likely to
join in the fun. DJs aren’t the best thing. Keep it
local, riders will love it. Unique local talent and
special events are what gets them off their bikes!
Health Department Warning
Refilling water bottle:
21 oz. per cyclist = 16.5 gallons per 100 cyclists
Drinking water:
7 oz. per cyclist = 5.4 gallons per 100 cyclists
The Public Health Department requires that you
use a WHITE plastic hose to refill the water bottles
or water coolers (not the green garden hoses).
The Public Health Department also requests that
you not allow people to reach into a tub or
container of water or ice to retrieve a beverage or
food item. This has the potential of spreading
food-borne illness.
Pricing
Churches and nonprofit organizations should make
a profit because of their volunteer labor plus some
of the food is often donated. The Food Service
Committee should not set prices but should strive
for uniform pricing among the vendors serving the
same types of products. Riders will remember if
your prices are too high, so keep prices reasonable
and portions generous. We encourage vendors
and locals not to raise prices just because
RAGBRAI is in town. For example: bratwurst prices
range from $1.25 to $1.75, but everyone would do
well at $1.50. And don’t forget to have higher
prices for the non-wrist banded riders. See the
WRISTBAND section of Introduction.
Water
The number one way to get cyclists to stop and
shop at your stands is to provide a place to fill
water bottles for FREE. Also think about giving
away free ice water. A previous Pass-through
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
Do you have an alternate plan to move indoors or
do you have a tent available? Or what if it is 100
degrees and humidity is high and you're planning
to serve hot sandwiches? Do you have a supplier
who can provide cold cuts on short notice? The
best-laid plans can go awry if the weather changes
drastically and it turns cold or a breeze becomes a
strong headwind.
Rider Habits
Based on experience, between 15-20 percent of
the riders will eat breakfast in the overnight town
before they ride out in the morning. The others ride
for about 10 to 20 miles before they stop for
breakfast. Of these, we estimate half will want a full
breakfast of maybe pancakes and sausage, or
biscuits and gravy while the other half may look for
a continental breakfast. 42% of riders like to eat
breakfast in the first pass-through town.
Most small towns combine the efforts of churches,
4-H clubs, Girl and Boy Scouts, restaurants and
other organizations in the community to coordinate
food sales so they serve a variety to the riders and
everyone makes some profit.
Over half of the riders eat dinners in churches
while the others choose to eat at local
establishments or nonprofit organization food
booths in the overnight towns. We're not aware of
any Pass-through Towns that successfully served
dinners to the riders basically because riders won't
eat a full meal and then ride their bikes.
If communities are just a few miles apart, it's wise
to contact each other so you aren't serving similar
items, which would mean one of you might lose
money and have to dispose of large quantities of
leftovers.
According to a recent RAGBRAI survey, 28
percent of RAGBRAI riders said they would
eat where the shortest line is!
Remember that it is better to run out of food and
make a small profit than to prepare too much and
lose money. Set the amount you plan to serve and
stay with the plan. Don't panic at the last minute
and increase the numbers. If you have a supplier
who will allow you to return unopened items, or let
you purchase additional items at a moment's
notice, you will only pay for what you use.
BREAKFAST
To determine if you are a breakfast or brunch/lunch
stop, consider that a biker travels an average of 10
miles per hour during ideal conditionstemperatures 75-85 degrees, no wind, low humidity
and a relatively flat terrain. Approximately 80
percent of the riders prefer to begin riding between
6 and 7 a.m. Also, allow for stops along the way,
noting how many towns are ahead of you on the
route and the mileage to that day's overnight
community.
Therefore, Pass-through Towns should concern
themselves only with breakfast or brunch/lunch
menus. The conclusion we have drawn from
reports on past RAGBRAIs is that a town 6 to 20
miles out from an overnight town should be
considered a breakfast stop. Beyond 20 miles is
considered a brunch/lunch stop.
If you've had no previous experience with
RAGBRAI coming through your town, the
RAGBRAI Director will be glad to give you advice
on whether to plan for breakfast or brunch/lunch
and give you an approximate time when the
majority of riders would start arriving. Please feel
free to call or E-mail the Director at any time if you
have questions. Refer to the contact information at
the end of this handbook.
The further a town is from the previous town, and
especially an overnight town, the more likely riders
will stop.
During your planning, it's very important to have
contingency plans in place. For example, what if it
rains and you're planning to serve food outside?
Keep in mind that riders will tire of pancakes if
they're served four days in a row. It's beneficial to
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
check with towns ahead of you to find out what
they are serving when you plan your menu.
everything would be set up, what would be sold,
where volunteers were needed and how much
food would be needed. The event became a
community effort!
Previous Pass-through Town Feedback
Another town worked as a community and met
their budget with funds left over to return the
vendor fees. It was a positive experience for the
entire community. They publicized in the local
newspaper on a weekly basis and distributed
1,500 flyers in the previous overnight town the
night before.
They raised $8,000 by serving breakfast from 5:30
a.m. – 12:30 p.m. They used cashiers at the end
of the tent when riders where ready to buy the
food. This eliminated the number of people
handling money. The town also kept everything in
even dollar increments.
One town was quoted, "This event is truly one of
Iowa's goodwill gestures. Opportunities to meet
people one on one in an otherwise whirlwind life.
Thank you for letting us participate."
Below are the items they sold:
Pancakes & sausage
Cinnamon Rolls
Cookies (3 per package)
Whole Pies
Fruit Danish
Hard Boiled Eggs (3 per package)
Veggie Bags (celery, carrots, cherry
One breakfast town said they had a successful
event by setting up just a few committees. Sign-up
sheets at the local bank, grocery store, gas station,
etc. achieved volunteer recruitment; the city police
chief handled law enforcement and public safety;
medical services were provided by the local rescue
units; sanitation and budget costs were taken care
of by the city (They were reimbursed afterwards.);
publicity and hospitality were word of mouth and
sign painting; food and non-food vendor services
were provided by the local town organizations
(church groups, boy scouts, 4-H clubs).
1,500
1,000
85 doz.
78
140
300
100
tomatoes)
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Pasta Salad (pint servings)
V-8 Juice (cans)
Sunny Delight (small bottles)
Gatorade (20 oz)
Coffee (50 lbs) & Lemonade
100
100
600
200
240
1200
2400
Free
Everything was sold out except pancakes &
sausage. They claim they could have sold more
baked goods, pasta salad, eggs and veggie bags.
Below is a list of other items purchased:
Paper plates
Napkins
Hot/cold cups
Silverware
Pie containers
Plastic zip lock bags
Plastic containers
Butter patties
Pancake syrup
Salt & pepper packets
Sugar packets
Creamer packets
One Pass-through Town wanted to keep all profits
from any food sales in town and did by getting
commitments from groups and all the people in
town for a total community effort. They started with
a chair, two co-chairs and an eight member
Advisory Board. They started meeting in April
once a month getting ideas of who would be in
charge of the different committees.
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
750
500
300
8,000
5 gal
1 case
1 case
1 case
BRUNCH/LUNCH
To determine if you are a breakfast or brunch/lunch
stop, consider that a biker travels an average of 10
miles per hour during ideal conditionstemperatures 75-85 degrees, no wind, low humidity
and a relatively flat terrain. Approximately 80
percent of the riders prefer to begin riding between
6 and 7 a.m. Also, allow for stops along the way,
Two months before RAGBRAI they had a town
meeting to find out if there were others in town that
wanted to have stands or help with the RAGBRAI
project. Another town meeting was held one
month before RAGBRAI to let people know how
17
Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
noting how many towns are ahead of you on the
route and mileage to the overnight community.
If you've had no previous experience with
RAGBRAI coming through your town, the
RAGBRAI Director will be glad to give you advice
on whether to plan for breakfast or brunch/lunch
and give you an approximate time when the
majority of riders would start arriving. Refer to the
contact information at the back of this handbook
and also refer to the “Catering to Participants of
RAGBRAI” food survey booklet.
Previous Pass-through Town Feedback
One community decided from the beginning to
function as one "RAGBRAI Committee" not the
well-established groups of Lions, Firemen, Church
etc. Everyone worked together as one group, not
individual groups. They met about ten times. A
committee chairperson was appointed for Food,
Volunteer Recruitment, Sanitation, Budget,
Entertainment and Hospitality. Chairpersons of the
individual committees made reports of their
progress at each meeting.
what is served, by whom and who was going
to help pay for the Port-a-Potties.
They had 30 Port-a-Potties and one
handicapped Port-a-Potty. They could have
cut back by two but not much more than that.
They were pretty busy all morning and pretty
full at the end of the day.
There were several serving lines, but cashiers
at the end. This way the food servers did not
have to handle any money. This was much
faster than other systems.
All food was priced at $1, $2, or $3.
A 16' X 24' tent for sandwiches, a 16’ X 24' tent
for the drinks, a 16' X 24' tent for the fruit and
veggie bags and a Schwann's Ice Cream truck
serving various ice cream goodies. This way
the lines were not as long.
They didn't try to feed the world. They planned
on selling out and they did. They tried to line
up returning unused items as much as
possible though they only had bottled water left
over which could not be returned.
Free coffee was available which was very
popular. This was advertised on signs prior to
town and this got people to stop.
A sink with plenty of soap and running water at
the Port-a-Potties was set up. This was really
appreciated by the bikers.
Alliant Energy set up a temporary power pole
for electricity. No generators, no long
extension cords, plenty of power for the
roasters. Some power companies have a
special one-day service for deals like this.
We can't give you a definite number of riders that
will stop. We hope that by providing information
about the different food items the towns reported
selling, to give you an idea of what to plan.
Entertainment consisted of three local unpaid
vocalists who took turns singing during the busiest
period from 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. The stage (a
fifth wheel flatbed trailer) was set up directly along
side the route through town. The route was a twolane paved street, which literally forced the bikers
to get off their bikes and walk them through the
maze of people during the busiest time. The food
tents were set up right beside the route.
For the community's benefit, operating as a
new single committee was very important.
This brought out entirely new, formerly
uninvolved individuals who were instrumental
in the success of our day.
Set up right beside the route.
Most cities passed a vendor ordinance which
put their communities in the position to control
One town served:
1200 Ribeye steak sandwiches
500 Chicken breast sandwiches
500 Ham and cheese croissants
200 Apple juice
18
$4.00
$4.00
$3.00
$1.00
Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
200 Milk
1000 20 oz. Gatorade
1000 20 oz. Pepsi/Mountain Dews
500 20oz. Lemonades
1000 Ice tea
300 Veggie bags
500 Mixed fruit bags
300 Nachos
500 Bananas
250 Apples
Receipts:
T-Shirt Proceeds
Contributions
Vendors
Insurance Premium
Ticket Sales
TOTAL
Expenses:
Town Grocery Store
Wal-Mart
Schwanns
Locker & Meats
Banner materials
Krieg Boys Packaged Ice
Willard Hoskins, Pedal pull
Bakery (croissants)
Gatorade
Department Store
Tickets
McDonald's - lemonade
Nachos/cheese sauce
Equipment Rental Co.
County Health Department
T-shirts screen printers
Printers, labels
Advertising
Midwest Sanitation
Water usage
Alliant Energy
Insurance/Premium
ASCAP - license
TOTAL
$1.00
$2.00
$2.00
$2.00
$1.00
$3.00
$3.00
$2.00
$1.00
2/$1
one town, with the loop being named after the
town. At the end of the 2000 ride, RAGBRAI CoHost/Co-Founder John Karras retired from his
official ride duties. In his honor, the loop was to be
named after him. In 2001 it was named the “Karras
Loop”. Most towns on the loop feel it is a special
honor to be so designated and many of them plan
special events and serve food and beverages.
Although some riders may be too tired to attempt
the extra miles, a percentage of the riders will at
least try to make a "Century Day." The weather
and wind conditions will be major factors in the
number of people who choose to ride the loop.
$1,905.00
260.00
300.00
550.80
17,895.37
$20,911.17
$1,626.98
141.51
549.78
2,472.51
77.33
216.00
75.00
235.00
236.05
1,235.50
11.10
19.50
173.89
37.21
25.00
1,328.50
63.00
200.00
1,200.00
25.39
52.50
550.80
50.00
10,602.55
Because of their location on the route, towns on
the loop are often brunch/lunch stops for the riders.
Therefore, it would be very beneficial for you to
read the Brunch/Lunch section immediately
preceding this section. The RAGBRAI Director will
be glad to advise you on what to expect regarding
food and entertainment for the riders.
RAGBRAI will have a staff member in town that will
hand out a token memento to each registered rider
that completes the Loop during the designated
announced times of operation.
Tips for Towns on the "Karras Loop"
1. Keep things simple. This is the longest day
of the week and the riders will probably
just pass through your community and not
stay long.
TOWNS ON THE KARRAS LOOP
For many years, the RAGBRAI Director and Host
chose two overnight host towns that were spaced
about 100 miles apart so the bikers could ride a
"Century Day" and purchase a "Century Patch" to
show they could ride 100 miles in one day.
2. Consider how many miles between the
towns before and after you. If it's 20 miles
or more, you can be sure that some riders
will stop during the day.
Several years ago the organizers couldn't map the
route with the towns they wanted as overnight
hosts to make a true 100-mile day so they
designed a "loop" that left the route temporarily to
add extra miles to the day and then reconnect with
the original route. The loop often includes at least
TOWNS ON THE GRAVEL LOOP
In 2015, RAGBRAI will introduce their first Gravel
Loop. This will allow riders to pick up some
additional miles while riding over gravel to get to
the selected Gravel Loop town.
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
Although some riders may be too tired to attempt
the extra miles, a percentage of the riders will at
least try to ride a "Gravel Loop." The weather and
wind conditions will be major factors in the number
of people who choose to ride the gravel loop.
RAGBRAI will have a staff member in town that will
hand out a token memento to each registered rider
that completes the Loop during the designated
announced times of operation.
SALES TIPS FOR TOWNS
Call and set up a meeting with your County
Health Department so you understand all of
the new rules for food.
When possible, the RAGBRAI staff will route
the riders through town to include local
restaurants and other businesses. The route is
established months prior to the ride and cannot
be changed the day of the ride. The Iowa
State Patrol will change the route back to the
original plan if it is altered. Please contact
RAGBRAI before May 20 if you have questions
about the route through your town. A meeting
with Law Enforcement from your area will take
place in June 22-24 to discuss final routing
through your town. You will be sent an invite
to meetings in your area.
20
All concessions should set up in the same area
and should coordinate food menus or some
will lose money. To be successful, there must
be total community involvement and
cooperation. Several towns have organized all
of their local groups as one and shared equally
in the profits to eliminate competition. They
concluded it was a success. We strongly
advise using this plan.
Towns that didn't set up concessions together
reported many organizations didn't make any
money. They attributed this to concessions not
being on the route or in the same general
location as the others, not advertising in the
town flyer and not serving the right kind of food
for the time of day the riders were in town.
Ideally booths should be where there is plenty
of shade, grass, tables and chairs so the riders
have a comfortable place to relax. Be sure to
also provide space for riders who aren't eating
and just want to relax. Local entertainment
should also be held in this area. If serving
outside, be sure to make alternate plans to
move inside in case of inclement weather.
Most breakfast towns conclude it's not
necessary to set up any earlier than 4:00 or
4:30 a.m. because the influx of riders won't
arrive until 5:30-6:00 a.m.
Be sure to place an ad in the tabloid published
in the overnight host town prior to your
community. Also, distribute flyers in the
previous overnight town campground listing
food menus, prices and types of entertainment
so riders know how to plan their stops.
Consider placing Burma-Shave type signs
along the approach to your town. They are
always read. Use two pieces of lathe, attach a
sign stretched between them and pound lathes
into the ground. Signs with large printing in
contrasting colors work best. It's wise to put
them up early in the morning rather than the
night before so they won't be vandalized. Wrap
them in plastic wrap to protect them from the
wind, dew or rain.
Small food vendors should be able to serve
between 300 and 500 meals, while business
operations like Pancake and Breakfast Burrito
vendors can serve about 1,000-1,500 people.
If you have a long line, start a second line.
RAGBRAI riders will not wait in line for food.
Free water is a necessity and it will not hurt
your bottled water sales. Most people will
purchase bottled water to drink while in your
town and then fill up their water bottles from
your free water source. Free water is needed
for the safety of the riders as well as your
townspeople who are enjoying the festivities.
Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
For each 16-ounce cup of soft drink, 8 ounces
should be ice. One case of soda, etc., will require
10 pounds of ice if the beverages are pre-cooled to
65 degrees. Add five pounds if it's warmer.
It's estimated that about 1/2 pound of ice is needed
per person. Therefore, if 4,000 riders stop in your
town, have at least 2,000 pounds of ice; more if it's
much above 80 degrees and it's humid. This
affects afternoon stops more than breakfast stops.
Energy Food for Riders
Most of the “energy food” is baked by the local
groups the week before the event. You might want
to have a theme: Rest Stop-watermelons, Fig
Newtons of every flavor, or a blueberry feast with
muffin bites. Emergency food for cyclists is bread
and peanut butter and jelly. Items placed in
baggies allow the cyclist to take some snacks with
them for an energy boost while they ride.
Cyclists will eat more in the afternoon than in the
morning.
DON'T LET GREED BE THE MOTIVATOR.
YOU SHOULD GET ALL AGREEMENTS IN
WRITING AND KEEP A COPY OF ALL
AGREEMENTS.
TRADEMARK VIOLATIONS
NON-FOOD VENDORS
Much of the information in the Benefitting Local
Community section also pertains to non-food
vendors.
There are other vendors that will not be selling
food, but will be wanting to set up in towns. These
vendors should still be charged to set up in town.
They might include massage therapists, tattoo
vendors, t-shirt vendors, etc.
We'd also ask your help in protecting the
RAGBRAI, RIDE RIGHT and Register's Annual
Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa trademark names
and logos.
If anyone approaches your town regarding the sale
of any item with these names or trademarks, or
gives you the impression that the Register and/or
RAGBRAI endorses any product they are
marketing, please contact the RAGBRAI Director
immediately. Such use of logos or trademarks is
illegal.
One non-food item that can be a good fundraiser
for your committee is ice for the day RAGBRAI is in
town. Residents in a previous Pass-through Town
provided ice and made it available to anyone who
needed it. To give you an idea of how to anticipate
ice consumption, we've gathered the following
information:
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
MEDICAL
If you have an ambulance staffed with EMTs, we
suggest that they park in a high visibility location,
such as the fire station. The ambulance should be
stocked with tape, bandages, zinc oxide, sports
creams, sterile water, saline solution, sunscreen,
cold drinks and ice as well as standard supplies.
Some ailments you may encounter are aching
knees, scrapes, sunburn and headaches. A supply
of lip balm and cornstarch on hand at the first aid
stations is helpful for riders. Your local drug
store/variety store/grocery store should be well
stocked with postcards, stamps, zinc oxide,
sunscreen, lip sunblock and aspirin.
PUBLIC SAFETY
The number one priority of RAGBRAI is the safety
of pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle drivers. A
secondary goal is that you must keep traffic
moving at all times.
The RAGBRAI medical director is Bob Libby. He
can be reached at 319-512-8811 or by e-mail:
care@careambulance.us
The meeting town usually hosts the University of
Iowa mobile emergency room. The University’s
Department of Emergency Medicine has been a
proud partner with RAGBRAI for the past 8 years.
Each year the Mobile Emergency Treatment
Center, in cooperation with the Emergency
Medicine Residency program and CARE
Ambulance, assists in supplementing medical care
across Iowa during RAGBRAI.
The town’s public safety officials should work
closely with the medical personnel and local law
enforcement in addressing all safety issues. Local
law enforcement will have plenty to do upholding
the law with the extra people in town, so they may
call upon the public safety officials to supplement
the officers to direct traffic and help with other
matters. It is the town’s responsibility to take
care of all intersections within your city limits.
The town’s public safety officials should also work
in developing and publishing maps showing
alternate routes for local residents to use that are
away from the bicycle route. The RAGBRAI route
markers will mark the bike route through town.
Serving as an extension of the Emergency
Treatment Center, an Emergency Medicine
resident and EMSLRC staff member provide
evaluation and basic treatment for 40-50 patients
each day during the event. Any patient requiring
more than simple wilderness medicine is referred
to the nearest healthcare facility for follow-up.
Meeting Towns & Support Vehicles
Each day one Pass-through Town on the route is
designated as a Meeting Town for the families and
friends in support vehicles to join the riders. If your
town has been selected as the Meeting Town, the
RAGBRAI agreement that was sent to your city
clerk states this.
Traditionally set-up in the meeting town each day,
its mission is to compliment the local medical
community and provide a continuity of care for
riders during the week-long event.
The meeting town is the only town on the route
where RAGBRAI support vehicles are encouraged.
We discourage vehicles from arriving at other
Pass-through Towns due to safety concerns.
Maps distributed to the riders and the support
vehicle drivers will have the day's town marked so
riders and friends can make plans in advance to
meet. The number of visitors can swell to 4,000 to
5,000 at a time for several hours during that day
and special plans need to be made to
accommodate the crowds in those communities.
Towns other than the designated meeting town
should not allow support vehicles to park in or
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
around town. It is a very big safety concern for all
and causes big challenges for the Iowa State
Patrol and County Sheriffs. One town is
designated for this use and is ready to handle it.
Unauthorized vehicles should be asked by law
enforcement to move on to the meeting town or the
overnight town.
used their alternate plans many times. In late July
weather in Iowa can vary from hot and humid to
drought-like conditions to very cold and rainy. It
can also mean tornadoes or very high winds and
thunder and lightning. Your community’s public
safety officials should write the plan and make sure
that all aspects of the plan are ready and
operational. This plan and shelter locations should
be well publicized.
Railroad Tracks
If a number of trains come through your community
daily, it may be necessary to contact the railroad
company about additional safety measures at each
crossing. In some communities, the railroad has
had a flagman at crossings for vehicle traffic safety
and has cooperated with the town’s RAGBRAI
organizing committee in scheduling trains through
town. Public safety officials should work to make
the railroad track and rumble strips in town as safe
as possible for the bikers. DO NOT COVER THE
RAILROAD TRACKS!!!!
As always, in case of a weather emergency, first
assess the situation by calling the National
Weather Service, local law enforcement,
emergency management services or emergency
responders. They can fill you in on what's
happening. Also let the local agencies decide if it is
time to evacuate or take another course of action.
Determine who is the decision maker should it be
necessary to implement the plan.
You should have emergency shelters lined up,
additional medical staff on call, and all churches,
schools and local residents should be prepared to
open their doors should there be a tornado
warning. You'll find an example of a Severe
Weather Plan in this section that will give you
some idea of what should be put together.
Glass Beverage Containers
We suggest that all establishments selling pop,
beer or wine coolers refrain from selling items in
glass containers while RAGBRAI is in town so
there is not danger of broken glass around town.
Your police department, mayor or city council
should consider giving notice to convenience
stores and local establishments well ahead of time
to refrain from selling beer and wine coolers in
glass bottles to eliminate the danger of broken
glass and to insure the safety of riders and
townspeople. It is best to talk to each merchant to
establish your rules and guidelines.
Considerations for the
Severe Weather Plan
Inform the riders of where shelters are in case of
bad weather and make it clear that in case of
evacuation, they can ride their bicycles to the
shelter but no bikes are allowed in the shelter.
In case of lightning:
You may wish to tell people who may be under
trees that if there is a storm with lightning to leave
for safer places. Encourage them to go to a
building, picnic shelter, car, house, etc., away from
metal and power poles with conductors in them.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLAN
A written Crisis Management Plan should be
developed and every chair, committee member,
and volunteer must have a copy. In the event of a
crisis, it has to be very clear who the spokesperson
will be, who needs to be contacted first, and how to
reach the people in charge. This helps to prevent
panic and stop rumors from spreading.
In case of hail:
There's not a whole lot you can do. The biggest
problem here is that if you have hail, you may have
a severe storm coming.
Law Enforcement, city officials, county officials, the
emergency management services will have an
important role to play in the development of your
town’s written plan.
In case of tornadoes:
Have tornado shelters picked out ahead of
time. Then let the local weather agency or
police put on the tornado siren. If there is a
need to evacuate, make sure people move
quickly but safely.
Never evacuate to a school gym. If you look at
tornado damage to schools, the gyms are
always torn apart because the pressure
created in that huge space tears the roof right
off. The safest places are basements, inside
The Crisis Management Plan must be completed
and handed to RAGBRAI officials during the June
22-24 meetings. You will find an example of a
Crisis Management Plan at the end of this section.
SEVERE WEATHER PLAN
A vital component of your Crisis Management Plan
is the Severe Weather Plan. Communities have
23
Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
rooms (never near windows) on the northeast
corner of the building, under stairs and in
bathrooms.
Depending on your local weather service, you
should have a few minutes after a tornado has
been spotted to evacuate. However, a tornado
could develop on top of your head. Pay heed
to tornado watches and keep an eye on the
weather for any possible developments.
If there are no homes, caves, etc., find a
culvert not prone to flooding and lie flat. Better
yet, find a large drainage ditch to crawl into.
RIDE RIGHT
Safety Issues for
Residents Along the Route
The following guidelines regarding severe weather
on the road are printed in the RAGBRAI
Participants Guide for the riders.
Make sure all of the homes along the route in your
community are notified. You should contact the
Overnight Town’s RIDE RIGHT Committee before
and after your town to assist and coordinate efforts
and to avoid duplication of efforts. Go to those
Overnight Town’s Web site to find contact
information for that community’s RIDE RIGHT
Chair. In addition to the safety issues mentioned in
the section for residents in town, please add the
following precautions. Here are some suggestions
to notify area residents that are on the bike route in
your community.
In case of lightning:
Take immediate shelter at a farm house, if
available.
If no shelter is available, find a clearing away
from trees. Lightning strikes the tallest point
and travels down the point, sometimes arcing
to things - including people - nearby. Never
stand near a tree. Once you find a clearing,
squat on your toes. Have as little of your body
touching the ground as possible.
Staying on your bike is an option for each
person to decide upon. It's not the safest place
to be, but sometimes it's the safest place at the
time. No, the rubber tires won't protect you
from lightning. But you're traveling and not high
up, so chances are extremely slim of getting
hit.
In case of hail:
A bike helmet will protect your head from
getting hit. If the hail stays on the ground and
you're riding your bike, you could slip and fall.
If there is no lightning (generally if there's hail
that means a severe storm and that probably
means lightning) get under a tree. But ONLY if
there is no lightning.
Worst-case scenario - in case of tornado:
A tornado watch means that conditions are
favorable for formation of a tornado. That
doesn't mean there is one around.
A tornado warning means that rotation has
been spotted in the clouds or a funnel has
actually touched down. If there's rotation and
there is a warning, take cover immediately.
A tornado will generally come from the
southwest moving northeast. Most people are
injured or killed by the flying debris. A tornado
can force a blade of grass into a fence post, so
obviously it can kill a person. Also, tornadic
storms can produce more than one funnel; lots
of lightning, rain and hail. In this storm,
everyone should take immediate action and
find shelter.
Cyclists will be passing throughout the day.
You will have a hard time crossing the road or
getting out of your driveway. Plan accordingly.
Should you invite any cyclists on your property,
be aware that you could be liable for injuries.
For the safety of your pets and the riders, pen
all your animals and keep pets penned or
leashed.
Please keep children away from the road and
pathway of RAGBRAI. Don’t let them ride their
bikes along with the riders.
If you plan to offer refreshments to the cyclists,
be sure to contact your county inspection office
for state food and beverage laws.
Keep all water stands, etc., on the right side of
the road. The road will not be closed that day
and you do not want cyclists to have to cross
oncoming traffic to get to you.
They should also make sure there is plenty of
room for the riders to pull their bikes off the
highway to the right.
Cyclists will not stop at the bottom of a hill for
refreshments.
Safety Issues for Residents
RAGBRAI has some very specific safety concerns
that you need to communicate to residents for the
day RAGBRAI is in town. If people follow these
recommendations, accidents should be held to a
minimum.
24
Discourage young people in your town from
joining in as the riders come into town and as
they are leaving town. Most are inexperienced
Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
in riding with large groups, and many accidents
involving young people happen every year.
Discourage residents from giving the riders
"high-fives." Accidents can be caused when a
rider reaches out to touch a hand, plus it's
dangerous to have anyone that close to the
bicycle route.
Don’t spray riders with water unless you ask
them. Many don’t want water on their supplies
they carry on their bike or on their expensive
equipment. This can distract riders and cause
accidents when they try to dodge the water.
Caution residents not to hand anything to the
riders as they come into town. Riders can't
carry anything on their bicycles. Reaching for
something is distracting and could cause them
to have an accident.
BICYCLE REPAIRS
RAGBRAI will designate one or possibly two of
their 10 Official Bicycle Shop repair vans to set up
in your community. We ask that you make room for
this vehicle as bikers come into your town. These
bike shops would each require approximately 15’ x
20’ of space to conduct repairs.
Their presence will provide another incentive for
riders to stop in your town. It is best if you can put
them near your food stands. Most riders that stop
to have their bikes repaired will look for a place
nearby the bike shop to get something to eat while
they wait for their bike to be fixed. If they are a
great distance apart, there is less of a chance that
the rider would leave to get something to eat or
drink.
Signage
RAGBRAI will provide the name and address of
the bike shops that are assigned to your
community at the March 28th Pass-through
meeting in Webster City. Do not allow any other
bike shops to set up in town. By June 1st, please
mail the bike shops the location and perhaps a
map indicating the area you wish them to be set up
in. The bike shops should be clearly visible from
the bike route through your town.
Consider posting safety signs around town weeks
before RAGBRAI so that bicycle safety becomes a
habit for bicycle riders and for vehicle drivers.
Here are some fun sayings created for signs by
one RIDE RIGHT committee.
Wearing a helmet is really smart!
Buckle yours on before you start!
Some bike shops might arrive in your community
the evening before in order to be ready before the
cyclists arrive. Most arrive after midnight and
would like a location where they might set up a tent
for the night. Please send them a letter indicating
an area, such as a city park, where they might be
able to spend the night.
Tires are low?
Bike is slow?
Check your equipment before you go!
AFTER THE RIDE
The day after RAGBRAI leaves your town, please
make sure someone drives the bike route and the
support vehicle route (if you are the meeting town)
to take down arrows around town and any other
signs along the route from the previous Passthrough Town to your town. The county engineers
and DOT are good enough to let us use their
equipment to post our signs on, so we must
cooperate with them and take down all signs as
soon as possible.
RISK MANAGEMENT
Bike Parking
Make provisions for bike parking by stretching
cable between tractors. Bikers advise that the
cable needs to be just at or slightly above
handlebar level. Wire hog panels held up by steel
posts make for excellent bike racks too.
This is a brief overview of the many situations that
can occur at your event. Don’t let lack of planning
ruin the day for you. Use this guide as a start.
Analyze the risks that you face with this event and
decide how you will handle each of them – avoid
the risk, transfer the risk or assume the risk and
minimize the size of the loss.
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
Risk management can also be done by transferring
the risk in the form of an insurance contract. Good
risk management can lower the cost of that
insurance contract for you. Work with your
insurance professional to cut the risks.
Make sure that steps, cracks, joints and level
changes are clearly marked.
Volunteers need to be trained! The banker
does not drive tent stakes every day; the
insurance man does not lift kegs of beer every
day.
You have to make sure your volunteers do not
over exert themselves or try and go beyond
their limitations. Make sure you have
adequate help to keep volunteer shifts to 2-3
hours at a time.
Give adequate breaks and make sure
everyone has enough water to drink! On hot
days avoid alcohol, colas and carbonated
drink. Lost fluids need to be constantly
replaced throughout the day.
House keeping - clean up your mess! A tidy
area will help to avoid losses that occur from
failing objects, or trips over items that are out
of place. Fires start when too much paper and
other combustible items are concentrated in an
area.
Tents or other temporary structures can cause
severe injuries if they should fall or be blown
over. Make sure that temporary structures are
adequately moored to avoid being tipped over
or blown over.
Make sure that the drivers of all vehicles are
responsible and experienced in driving in a
crowd and have liability insurance!
Health of your participants and staff is a critical
issue. Recently a group of cyclists contracted
a virus caused directly by the introduction of
the virus into ice. Hand washing with soap is
the best prevention. Make sure you have no
standing water. Do not allow bare hands to be
put in ice tanks that will store cans of beverage
or food. Train all volunteers on the proper
methods of food handling. Work with local
health/food inspectors and the Iowa
Department of Inspections and Appeals. Know
food safety laws and requirements.
Do all participants and volunteers sign a
waiver? We think they should! You need to
warn of the hazards and have them
understand that they are giving up their right to
sue. Work with legal counsel to review all
contracts.
Identify the risks of loss: What are the areas
that you could expect to have a loss occur in.
Obviously, the beverage garden is the most
likely. See the information provided in the
Beverage Garden section for more information
on loss prevention.
The golf cart has been a very poor means of
transportation. You must have absolute
control over the operation of the golf carts. No
one under 21 should operate the carts. No
more than two occupants of the cart and they
should be seated on the seat. Control the use
of carts or better yet, use a bicycle!
Electrical supply is an issue that should be
addressed at all locations. Is the power supply
adequate to avoid blowing fuses or circuit
breakers?
Are the cords grounded properly? Any frayed
or cut or cut power cords? Get rid of those
that could cause a short.
SANITATION & TOILETS
When the riders take time to stop in a Passthrough Town it usually means they're either
hungry, thirsty or they need a restroom break. Very
few towns have enough public facilities to
accommodate up to 3,000 to 4,000 people who
could be in town at one time during the day.
Therefore, it may be necessary to rent portable
toilets and hand washing stations. Your agreement
with the company should be in the form of a written
contract including the number of portable toilets
requested and what time the company will bring
them and pick them up.
The rule of thumb to calculate the number of units
needed is one unit for every 200 people. If alcohol
is being served, you will need two units for every
200 people. The RAGBRAI Director will be glad to
advise you on how many units you may need and
the best location for them. He'll also give you the
name of the company that RAGBRAI contracts
with to provide toilets for the overnight towns if you
are in need of this resource. You should also call
the neighboring overnight towns and find out which
company they are using.
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Select reliable volunteers to do hourly toilet paper
patrols. You might consider grouping more than 10
toilets together in several locations.
recyclable containers. Arrangements should be
made with local 4-H clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts or
school organizations to pick up the containers at
given times during the day so others don't take
them. The signs on the boxes should include the
information about who benefits from the funds to
encourage "pitching in."
VOLUNTEERS
Law Regarding Accessible
Toilets for the Disabled
One town's volunteer recruiting consisted of the
chairperson and two helpers. The three of them
recruited 100 volunteers and didn't need to use a
phone book calling campaign. Because the town
was so small and they knew most of the residents,
they recruited certain people with a particular
committee in mind.
Please keep in mind the following law regarding
portable toilets: On Friday, July 26, 1991, the
Federal Department of Justice-Office of the
Attorney General issued the following under 28
CFR Part 36-Nondiscrimination on the Basis of
Disability by Public Accommodations and in
Commercial Facilities: Final Rule: (6) If toilet
facilities are provided on a site, then each such
public or common use toilet facility shall comply
with 4.22.-For single user portable toilet or bathing
units clustered at a single location, at least 5
percent but no less than one toilet unit or bathing
unit complying with 4.22 or 4.23 shall be installed
at each cluster whenever typical inaccessible units
are provided. The International Symbol of
Accessibility shall identify accessible units.
When the recruiters made the contact, they told the
volunteer where he/she would be working and at
what time. Then the recruiters posted the
schedules at their town meetings and contacted
nearly everyone again as a reminder several days
before the event. Be sure to tell them of a date
and location for the Thank You Party, as well.
A Volunteer Recruitment form could be available
for people to complete out at local stores, gas
stations, banks, and post office. A sample “Sign
Me Up!” form is at the end of this section.
For example, if you are serving 600 people, a total
of three units will be needed and one of those units
must be an accessible unit. If you are serving
alcoholic beverages to 600 people, a total of eight
units are recommended, and one of those units
should be handicap accessible.
Trash Disposal & Recycling
It's been well tested that if trash receptacles are
available, riders will use them. Some towns use
appliance boxes and have children decorate them.
Line the boxes with plastic to keep them from
becoming soggy from liquid left in the containers.
Because many riders come from other states and
aren't aware of Iowa's recycling laws, you should
provide a separate, well-marked receptacle for
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
WEB SITE
The internet has become a major medium for the
distribution of RAGBRAI information to both the
riders and your local community. 99% of the
RAGBRAI participants either registered online or
their applications were printed from the
ragbrai.com Web site. A current and informative
Web site will cut down on the number of calls
asking basic questions about your community.
If you decide to have a Web site you will need to
recruit a web developer and secure a hosting site.
Another way to promote your town’s effort is a
Facebook page, which is free to do. Someone
must be in a position to update the site as often as
possible and put the latest information out.
Town Map
Many towns suggest posting a quality map on the
Web site that is easily viewable and readable.
That map should be “printer friendly.” This map will
be added to as all of the committees’ plans take
shape. Things that will be added to the map later
will be the bike route into and out of town.
The RAGBRAI office has designed a map key with
icons for the towns to use on their city maps. Using
the universal icons will aid the riders in finding the
facilities in each town when they arrive. The key
can be found in this section. An electronic version
of the map icons is on the flash drive that you
received.
Eventually your Web site should address the
following areas:
Bike Route
Entertainment
Committees and Contacts
Volunteer Recruitment and Assignments
Food
Vendors & Vending Applications
Beverage Garden
Community Announcements and Updates
Bathrooms & Water
How to Purchase Town T-shirt
The web developer should work closely with the
committee to inform the riders and townspeople
what they can expect on RAGBRAI.
It would be very beneficial for your town to
establish a web presence almost immediately.
When your site is ready, the RAGBRAI site will add
a link to your URL address. To have your site
linked from the RAGBRAI site, contact the
RAGBRAI Director at tj@ragbrai.com.
Two sections for the Web site
Divide your Web site into two major headings:
Rider Information
Resident Information
WHAT TO PUT ON THE WEB SITE
As soon as you have been named a Pass-through
Town, riders and teams will start contacting
anyone they can to find looking for information
about your town. They will contact city officials, the
chamber of commerce, government offices in
search of information. The riders will start calling
anyone and everyone they can find in your
community for information if you don’t have your
Web site up. Most of the calls would be
unnecessary if the web page was up and
contained information about your community.
Under Rider Information:
Provide as much information as you can to a
person passing through your town on a bicycle.
You might consult cyclists in your area who have
ridden to get their input. But it's pretty simple.
Here are some ideas:
1.
A letter from the Mayor welcoming rider.
2.
What is the bike route in and out of your
town?
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
What food will be available and where?
What entertainment, where and when?
Where can water bottles be filled free?
How can riders contact and find the
emergency services in your town?
Will you have a bank of public phones or
computers available and where?
Where are the portable toilets located?
Who to contact for answers to more
questions on any of the above topics.
How to purchase your town t-shirt.
be answered daily. A site with old information does
little to instill confidence among cyclists and
residents alike.
You can add other areas as you deem important,
but at the beginning, keep it to the basics.
Items for Town’s Web Site
1. Initial site design hosted and linked from
RAGBRAI site
2. Include contact information. Update with
committee structure as committee
appointments are made
3. City map
4. Welcome letter from mayor posted
5. How to volunteer (for resident section)
6. Add Community Information section for
residents to visit to find weekly progress
notes/decisions
7. Theme & Logo
8. Post application form to sign up to be a vendor
9. Add community news on beautification
projects, safety concerns, etc. for residents
10. Begin to list food available by vendors,
churches. Show vendor area on map. Update
as more available.
11. Add bicycle route to map
12. List entertainment line-up & show locations
Under Resident Information:
You also have the opportunity to communicate to
the residents of your community just what will be
happening, how they can get involved, and the
volunteer needs that you have.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
What are your volunteer needs?
How does one become a food vendor?
How can entertainers become involved?
Describe the bike route and any parking
restrictions being enforced that day.
Bike Safety for Residents - residents need to
know how to act so as not to cause
accidents. Get a RAGBRAI veteran to help
you with this one. A good example is look
behind you before you open your car door
into the path of an oncoming bike.
List your organizing committee structure with
E-mail addresses so people know whom to
contact.
A message from your Mayor asking for
citizen cooperation and outlining the benefits
of having the ride pass through is always
helpful.
How to purchase your town t-shirt.
When and where the meetings will be.
Minutes from previous meetings.
Most important:
Make sure your Web site is never out of date.
Update the home page on a weekly basis in order
to keep up the enthusiasm. All messages should
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
Towns other than the designated meeting town
should not allow support vehicles to park in or
around town. It is a very big safety concern for all
and causes big challenges for the Iowa State
Patrol and County Sheriffs. One town is
designated for this use and is ready to handle it.
MEETING TOWNS
The RAGBRAI staff will work with the Meeting
Towns to find safe passage and parking locations
for support vehicles, a location for the University of
Iowa’s Mobile Emergency Treatment Center,
RAGBRAI’s Information & Merchandise booth, at
least two bike shops and an indoor location for the
Register reporters.
Mobile Emergency Treatment Center
The meeting town usually hosts the University of
Iowa mobile emergency room. The University’s
Department of Emergency Medicine has been a
proud partner with RAGBRAI for the past 6 years.
Each year the Mobile Emergency Treatment
Center, in cooperation with the Emergency
Medicine Residency program and CARE
Ambulance, assists in supplementing medical care
across Iowa during RAGBRAI.
Serving as an extension of the Emergency
Treatment Center, an Emergency Medicine
resident and EMSLRC staff member provide
evaluation and basic treatment for 40-50 patients
each day during the event. Any patient requiring
more than simple wilderness medicine is referred
to the nearest healthcare facility for follow-up. its
mission is to compliment the local medical
community and provide a continuity of care for
riders during the week-long event.
RAGBRAI Information
& Merchandise Booth
RAGBRAI will have a mid-day presence in the
Meeting Town with an Information and
Merchandise booth. This will consist of an SUV or
Van and two 10’ x 10’ pop-up tents. It will be
staffed by RAGBRAI staff members throughout the
day.
Support Vehicles
Each day one Pass-through Town on the route is
designated as a Meeting Town for the families and
friends in support vehicles to join the riders. If your
town has been selected as the Meeting Town, the
RAGBRAI agreement that was sent to your city
clerk states this.
Hosting the Register Reporters
The meeting town is the only town on the route
where RAGBRAI support vehicles are encouraged.
We discourage vehicles from arriving at other
Pass-through Towns due to safety concerns.
During RAGBRAI, Register reporters write daily
columns and photographers capture images for
The Des Moines Register that is produced each
day of the ride. The Register also produces a live
show at noon each day streamed online.
Maps distributed to the riders and the support
vehicle drivers will have the day's town marked so
riders and friends can make plans in advance to
meet. The number of visitors can swell to 4,000 to
5,000 at a time for several hours during that day
and special plans need to be made to
accommodate the crowds in those communities.
The meeting town each day has been selected
to host the Des Moines Register reporters and
photographers. RAGBRAI will be in touch with
those select towns with more details. The
newsroom is looking for a small air-conditioned
private room to write their stories and send photos
and stories back to the Des Moines Register.
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As your committee confirms it’s planning for the
day RAGBRAI is in town, it would be helpful and
interesting to send RAGBRAI a list of the activities
planned. You never know what will catch the
attention of a reporter to do a story about your
community. The deadline is May 20, 2015.
legal obligations. It would be disappointing if you
planned a beverage garden and saw a modest
profit only to lose it all and more in a lawsuit or
fines for violation of Iowa or federal laws.
Check with your police department and county
sheriff for local laws. Be sure you require that
uniformed law officers with local jurisdiction be
placed at each serving area to avoid trouble.
LAST TOWN OF THE DAY
If your town is the last Pass-through Town before
the riders reach the overnight host town, riders will
usually stay and enjoy your hospitality. Last Town
of the Day is always a Lunch/Brunch Town, so be
sure to read that section under Food and NonFood Vendors.
Dram Shop liability coverage is necessary and
required to get a license to sell alcoholic
beverages in Iowa. Local communities that have a
beverage garden or local taverns need to be
cautious in serving alcoholic beverages to riders.
Once a beverage is served you become
responsible for the welfare of that rider and anyone
they may injure.
However, be sure to make contingency plans
based on good or bad weather because a
headwind and/or rain can change this theory.
They still must be in the Overnight Town by 6 p.m.
Keep any support vehicles that have parked in
town moving on through because riders will tend to
stay after dark and RAGBRAI safety vehicles are
pulled from the route at 6:00 p.m. Trying to ride in
the dark on unfamiliar roads is extremely
dangerous, and we do not want you to contribute
to this dangerous situation.
A beverage garden is one factor that will keep
some riders in your town late. If any establishment
serves alcoholic beverages to the riders, it should
be required that a uniformed officer be on duty the
entire time the riders are there to avert any trouble.
Dangerous activities such as beer slides should be
banned.
Rider Safety
We need your help! The Iowa State Patrol and
RAGBRAI officials are asking all towns with a
beverage garden and all establishments serving
alcoholic beverages to stop serving and end all
entertainment early enough to get the riders off the
road by 6:00 p.m. We don't want your town to get a
bad name because a car hit someone who had
been drinking in one of your establishments. One
year, a semi truck came upon 20 people riding at
2:00 a.m. with no lights and followed them into the
overnight town to make sure they made it safely.
The meeting town is the only town on the route
where RAGBRAI support vehicles are encouraged.
We discourage vehicles from arriving at other
Pass-through Towns due to safety concerns.
Please ask any support vehicles to keep moving.
Beverage Garden
Our words of wisdom to you are: IF YOU CAN'T
CONTROL A BEVERAGE GARDEN, DON'T
HAVE ONE!
Please read the Pass-through Town Agreement in
the Committee Section of this handbook. We
sincerely need you to abide by this agreement and
join us in ensuring the safety of RAGBRAI riders by
getting them to the next overnight town by 6:00
p.m. Whether you choose to use local
entertainment or hire outside entertainment, the
written contract with the entertainer should contain
an ending time that coincides with your shut down
time.
If your City Council approves an ordinance or
resolution that gives permission for an outdoor
beverage garden, then that ordinance or
resolution must contain the same shut down
time. The ordinance must state that activities have
to move indoors. RAGBRAI needs a copy of this
document on file.
If you decide to have a beverage garden, it is
important that you adhere to all local, state and
federal laws pertaining to dispensing and
consumption of alcoholic beverages. Beverage
gardens have been a good source of income for
some communities, but with them come moral and
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
RAGBRAI ROUTE INSPECTION PRE-RIDE
We will be riding through your
pass-through town community
May 31 - June 6, 2015
•
Do you want RAGBRAI officials to take a look at your town’s RAGBRAI setup or route in town?
•
Do you want to say “hi” to the riders as they come through?
•
Let them know who makes the best food in Iowa!!!
A schedule is listed below of the Route Inspection Ride across the state of Iowa.
Sunday, May 31
Ride from Sioux City to Storm Lake
Thursday, June 4
Ride from Cedar Falls to Hiawatha
Leeds*, Kingsley, Washta (Meeting), Quimby,
& Hanover *
Hudson, LaPorte City, Mount Auburn,
Vinton (Meeting), Shellsburg & Palo
Monday, June 1
Ride from Storm Lake to Fort Dodge
Friday, June 5
Ride from Hiawatha to Coralville
Newell, Fonda, Pomeroy (Gravel Loop),
Manson (Meeting) & Clare
Whittier*, Springville, Mount Vernon (Meeting),
Lisbon, Sutliff Cider, Solon & Coralville Dam*
Tuesday, June 2
Ride from Fort Dodge to Eldora
Saturday, June 6
Ride from Coralville to Davenport
Duncombe, Webster City, Boondocks,
Williams, Alden (Meeting), Buckeye,
& Radcliffe (Karras Loop)
University Heights, Iowa City, West Liberty,
Atalissa, Moscow*, Wilton (Meeting) & Walcott
* Denotes towns with limited services
Wednesday, June 3
Ride from Eldora to Cedar Falls
or unincorporated
Steamboat Rock, Cleves*, Ackley,
Austinville*, Aplington,
Parkersburg (Meeting) & New Hartford
The route inspection riders will leave each morning at 7 a.m. from the overnight communities listed above. The
riders travel at about 10-12 miles per hour. So if your community is 20 miles into the day, you might expect them
to enter your town between 8:30am-9:00am. There will be a minimum of 35 cyclists that come through your town
that day.
If you want to make sure that we visit with you during the Route Inspection Ride, please contact us
in advance to make specific arrangements. Please contact:
T.J. Juskiewicz, RAGBRAI Director
Cell 515-371-3369
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or email tj@ragbrai.com
Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
RAGBRAI Route Inspection Pre-Ride
May 31 - June 6, 2015
We will be riding through your pass-through town community
There really is only one good way to inspect the selected roads for a bike event… get out and ride it on a
bike! And that is exactly what we are going to do with a team of knowledgeable cyclists thoroughly
examining every mile of the RAGBRAI route on bicycles.
For the eleventh consecutive year the RAGBRAI Route Inspection Pre-Ride Team will ride the entire
RAGBRAI route 50 days in advance of the event. The team is comprised of RAGBRAI staff and crew
members, former RAGBRAI host town committee chairs, veteran RAGBRAI riders, bicycle shop owners
and friends.
The Route Inspection Ride spends the entire week inspecting the route and teaching the local RIDE
RIGHT Committee what to do with the information learned during the inspection ride. They also will be
looking at traffic patterns since they will be riding the route on the same day of the week that RAGBRAI
will ride on later this summer.
In addition to reporting on road conditions, the RAGBRAI staff will be writing a daily update for the web
site. We try to point out some places of interest along the route that no one would want to miss. We
are always looking to find the best pie in each town! We plan to stop in every town and discover in
advance the great food that will be served during RAGBRAI and the places to visit. We feel this is a
beautiful and scenic route with great towns along the way.
RAGBRAI works diligently with the RIDE RIGHT committees to continually inspect the roads and report
potential hazards to local officials and engineers who might be able to repair the roadways. The local
RIDE RIGHT committee also alerts home owners on the route about the event and educates
townspeople about bicycle safety. Many committees will host bike rodeos or safety events for the
community’s youth prior to RAGBRAI’s arrival.
For the past several years, the Route Inspection Team has been joined daily on their trek by the local
committee members as well as local bike club members and bike shop owners that are willing to help.
Be sure to tune in each day for the daily updates and photos from the route inspection ride
on the RAGBRAI web site www.ragbrai.com . You can also follow the pre-ride adventure
and learn interesting tidbits about the route by following me on TWITTER by following
@TJRAGBRAI and @RAGBRAI_IOWA.
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
RAGBRAI XLIII Route Inspection Pre-Ride
May 31 - June 6, 2015
Pass-through Town Update & Activities Form
Please email this form completed by May 20th to tj@ragbrai.com
Take as much space as you need, the more information and details you give us the
more information we can share with riders about your community and their plans
for RAGBRAI!
Town Name:
Would you like the pre-ride team to visit your town the week of May 31 - June 6?
Best contact and cell phone for the pre-ride visit?
Give a brief description of what the town is planning for RAGBRAI XLIII:
Type of food you plan to serve or vendors that will be in town (let us know if no outside
vendors will be welcome to your town):
Type of entertainment planned (bands, dance teams, contests, etc):
Neat places that riders should be sure to visit (museums, attractions, etc.):
Neat restaurants or pubs that riders should be sure to visit:
Any interesting stories riders should know about that is happening in town (recovering from
natural disaster, fundraising effort for playground, etc.):
Does your town have a theme (and logo if you have one), let us know?
Please return by May 20th to tj@ragbrai.com
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
Sample article from 2012 Pre-Ride – Gowrie, Iowa
Gowrie is a bustling community nestled in the midst of north central Iowa’s productive grain
fields. It is a great place to visit and a wonderful place to live! The pace is a bit more relaxed,
but opportunities abound. Take a dip in the pool, revisit the past in our museum, hit the links
at the golf course, walk a nature trail, attend a summer evening concert in the city park, or shop at one of the many fine businesses.
These are just a sampling of the many things you can do in this community of just over 1,000 friendly people.
The community is planning to throw a “pool party” complete with beach balls, swimming pool, water fights, and more! In the square block city
park, an oasis of shade and grass, there will be local and outside food vendors, a local DJ in the band shell, and a beer garden hosted by the
local American Legion post.
A local DJ will be playing music in the band shell and a beer garden will be available. There will also
be some fun water activities that will be sure to be a hit. At the center of the RAGBRAI activities
stands the Betty Nyght Hamilton Bandshell The original bandshell, built in 1916, was lost to the
ravages of time in 1990. In 1996, with a vision for reviving the past and building on a strong musical
history, the bandshell was rebuilt. On June 27, the new bandshell was dedicated during a concert that
featured internationally-famous bass baritone Simon Estes performing with the Gowrie Community
Band & Chorus. A crowd of 10,000 gathered in Gowrie for a magical evening that has been described
as Hometown Renaissance. The Gowrie Arts Council continues to host a summer concert series
beginning in June each year that features local talent alongsideperformers from Iowa and beyond.
Just three weeks prior to RAGBRAI the American Legion Post sponsors the town’s annual
Independence Day Celebration. This year activities start on Friday, June 29th and run through the 4thof July. Activities include a comedian,
karaoke, Firecracker 40 bike ride, carnival in the city park, food stands, street dance, Cow Pie Bingo, Warrior 5k fun run/walk, amateur golf
tournament, a huge parade, and of course a spectacular fireworks show! When many communities suspended celebrations during World War II
the Gowrie community continued to celebrate. For well over 100 years, Gowrie has the longest consecutive Independence Day celebration in
Iowa.
Neat restaurants or pubs that riders should be sure to visit: Downtown the local pub, Marv’s
Market Street Grill & Bar, will also be hosting a DJ and outside beer garden. Other local
restaurants that will also be vending in the park is the Barbeque Thief and Sprockets Famous
Dogs. The pre-ride team sampled some of the tasty treats of Sprockets Dogs and they were
delicious.
To help support the local swimming pool fundraiser we have adopted the theme “Splash Into
Gowrie” and plan to throw a “pool party” complete with beach balls, kiddie swimming pools,
water activities, and more! (Don’t worry, no sand except under the playground equipment.) The existing pool is over 40 years old and
beginning to crumble.
Unfortunately some of the attractions will be closed during the day of RAGBRAI. We do have a depot museum, swimming pool, roller skating
rink, golf course, and three city parks. To learn more about Gowrie, visit their web site at www.gowrie.org . So Splash Into Gowrie!
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
MAP ICONS
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Pass-through Town Handbook 2015
SAMPLE BEVERAGE GARDEN TRAINING PLAN
Proposed Training Agenda for ALL Beverage Garden Personnel
1. Sunday, July 16 at 2:00 p.m. (based on available training sites) to train ticket sales, ID checking and
security.
2. Wednesday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m. is the second available training time for ID checking, ticket sales and
security.
3. Everyone is cross-trained to do each job. Please note that people will be assigned to a specific job but will
be cross-trained in case there is a run or shortage in an area.
4. Serving training will be two nights the second week of July.
5. Each person trained will sign a document identifying that they have completed training.
6. Instructions on job role will be passed out at the training session. If T-shirts are available by that time then
we'll pass them out. Otherwise we will pass them out the weekend before the event.
7. There will be a check-in station set up by the Ticket Sales for all workers except servers to check in at their
designated start time. Everyone should report 15-30 minutes prior to their start time to receive additional
instructions.
8. Servers will report to their captain 15-30 minutes prior to their start time at the beer serving station.
9. When we receive the volunteer names, we will split them up and assign them to a time slot and a work
area. They need to be contacted immediately and told their training time and position they will serve in. We
need to tell them that we will have training schedules posted on the web site.
10. We need to have an individualized report given to every worker identifying the job they are performing and
their work schedule.
ID CHECKING
1. The shifts will be two-hour shifts as follows: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. to
4:00 p.m.
2. The check-in time is no later than fifteen minutes prior to the start of your shift.
3. You must have gone through the ID checking video.
4. Check the ID for flaws or alterations. Use the ID manual for other states. Use your own driver's license
number to see if it's been altered. If you doubt it, then send them to a police officer to have it validated.
5. The individual must be 21 years of age today, not tomorrow or anything else. No excuses for misplaced ID.
No ID, then no entrance.
6. If they are not obvious as to their age, then place an ID bracelet on their wrist. You must attach it, not the
individual.
7. RAGBRAI riders, volunteers for the committees with their shirt and people wearing the community shirt are
admitted free. Everyone else is charged $3. Everyone should have an ID available to be admitted. Workers
must be wearing their shirt to be admitted free. They cannot just say so.
8. Absolutely no one under 21 years of age is admitted no matter what their excuses or if they are a family or
not. The police are emphatic on this.
9. If someone wants to leave, stamp them, or they will have to pay a second time to be admitted again.
SERVING
1. The shifts will be two-hour shifts as follows: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. to
4:00 p.m.
2. Serve the beer at the time the ticket is taken. Never take their ticket, and then go get the beer. This way no
one can say I gave you the ticket already.
3. Work in teams if possible. That way one person can be taking beer out of the tank and handing it to the
person serving.
4. Pay attention to our training tape. Look for the signs of excessive alcohol consumption and cut them off.
Use your teammate to back up your assessment. Be nice, but be firm. This creates liability for all of us if we
ignore this. It can also put someone on the road that's a danger to the community and themselves.
5. Serve no more than two beers at a time to one person.
6. One half hour before your assigned shut down time is last call. Try to cut off beer sales at your assigned
time so the riders will move on to the next town.
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7. If an individual looks young, and they do not have an ID bracelet on, ask them to get a bracelet before you
serve them. We will have a single ID station by ticket sales. Don't take chances. It's the consumer's
responsibility to provide identification.
8. Do not take cash from anyone. They must have a ticket in order to be served a drink.
9. No drinking while on duty.
10. No free beer.
11. Check-in time for each shift is at least fifteen minutes prior to the start of your shift.
12. Have some fun with the customers. They're great people. Let them know we are too.
13. If people have not gone through our training, then they cannot serve beer.
TICKET SALES
1. The shifts will be two-hour shifts as follows: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. to
4:00 p.m.
2. Have some fun with the customers. They're great people. Let them know we are too.
3. Tickets will be sold for $2 each. Make sure you accurately give them the number of tickets they pay for. Put
all monies in the apron provided. Do not leave tickets out on the counter. Please keep them in one side of
the apron.
4. Someone will periodically come around and take money from you.
5. No one is allowed inside the ticket sales area because of the money being exchanged. Only the Sales staff
is allowed or the team captains.
6. No free drink tickets to anyone
7. No drinking while on duty. Before and after is allowed.
8. No one can go into the refreshment stand except budget personnel or captains.
SECURITY
1. The shifts will be two-hour shifts as follows: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. to
4:00 p.m.
2. Have some fun with the customers. They're great people. Let them know we are too.
3. Report to your team captain 15 minutes prior to your start time.
4. You will always be working in pairs.
5. You are to observe and ask people to cooperate by making the event a pleasure for everyone. Loud
profanity or excessive horseplay should not be tolerated. Ask people nicely to curtail it. If they continue,
contact the police.
6. You are not, under any circumstances, to get physical or in a yelling match with anyone. We want
everyone to be safe.
7. The police will escort anyone who does not follow the basic rules from the beer garden.
8. If you observe illegal activity, have one person continue to observe and the partner contact police and
explain the situation to them. They will take over.
9. You are not to consume alcohol while on duty. It is preferable that you maintain some reasonable limitation
of consumption prior to your shift to assure that you will be using sound judgment.
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IOWA SMOKEFREE AIR ACT
For RAGBRAI events/festivities, the determining factor on whether or not smoking can be
allowed at a particular outdoor area depends on several things (see below). While many of your
RAGBRAI riders may not smoke, the variety events that occur in each town are attended by
both riders and non-riders (i.e. smokers and nonsmokers) alike.
1)
Smoking is not allowed on the grounds of any public building (i.e. buildings under the
custody or control of state, county, or city government). The Administrative Rules to the
Iowa Smokefree Air Act defines these areas as “an outdoor area of a public building that
is used in connection with the building, including but not limited to a sidewalk or driveway
immediately adjacent to the building, but not including a sidewalk in the public right-ofway; a sitting or standing area immediately adjacent to the building; a patio; a deck; a
curtilage or courtyard; a swimming or wading pool; a beach; or any other outdoor area as
designated by the person having custody or control of the public building.” See our fact
sheet for this topic posted at
http://www.iowasmokefreeair.gov/common/pdf/facts/public_grounds_facts.pdf.
2)
Smoking is not allowed in the outdoor seating or serving area of a restaurant. These
areas include all outdoor places where customers are seated and served food or
beverages. The Smokefree Air Act defines "restaurant" as “eating
establishments…which offer food to the public, guests, or employees, including the
kitchen and catering facilities in which food is prepared on the premises for serving
elsewhere, and including a bar area within a restaurant.” If an establishment only serves
items such as pre-packaged snack foods, popcorn, or only reheats commercially
prepared foods that do not require assembly, then the establishment would be
considered a “bar” under the law. As such, smoking would then not be regulated under
the law in those outdoor seating or serving areas. See our fact sheet for restaurants
posted at
http://www.iowasmokefreeair.gov/common/pdf/facts/resturants_signage_facts.pdf and for
bars posted at
http://www.iowasmokefreeair.gov/common/pdf/facts/bar_signage_facts.pdf.
3)
Smoking is regulated at the designated seating areas of outdoor entertainment events
(regardless of the presence or absence of food and/or drinks). These are areas
designated by the owner, operator, or person who has custody or control over the area
as the place to congregate to witness any entertainment event. This includes, but is not
limited to, permanent seating provided by the event organizers, seating areas where
people bring their own chairs or standing room only. Signs which comply with the
requirements of the law must be posted at the entrances to seating areas. See our fact
sheet for outdoor event requirements posted at
http://www.iowasmokefreeair.gov/common/pdf/facts/outdoor_signage_facts.pdf.
4)
This may not be applicable, but in the event that any activities are occurring on the
grounds of any schools or educational facilities, smoking is also prohibited on those
grounds as well, including inside any personal vehicles.
For more information about the Iowa Smokefree Air Act you can go to
www.iowasmokefreeair.gov.
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PASS-THROUGH TOWN AGREEMENT - SAMPLE
(Original Agreement is on file with your City Clerk)
DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 28, 2015
TOWN NAME: Anytown, Iowa - Anycounty County
PASS-THROUGH DATE: Sun 7/20
SHUT DOWN TIME: 2:30 PM
In the spirit of RAGBRAI, we are asking for your cooperation to assist us in ensuring the safety of the
riders. In as much as RAGBRAI support is from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., we are asking that you announce
and post the appropriate time riders would need to leave your location to arrive at the next overnight
town before 6:00 p.m. If conditions are ideal (i.e., 75 degrees F, low humidity, no wind), riders can
average 10 mph.
For example, if your community is 40 miles (four hours) away from the overnight town, that would mean
you would announce and encourage the riders to leave no later than 2:00 p.m. If you are ten miles from
the overnight town and conditions are ideal, you would announce and encourage departure by 5:00 p.m.
IMPORTANT: Encouraging timely departure by riders includes their support vehicles. Please do not
allow any support vehicles to park in or around your community.
Whether you choose to use local entertainment or hire outside entertainment, the written contract with
the DJ or entertainer should contain an ending time that coincides with your shut down time. If your City
Council approves an ordinance that gives permission for an outdoor beverage garden, then that
ordinance must contain the same shut down time. The ordinance must state that activities have to move
indoors. RAGBRAI needs a copy of this document on file.
If you feel comfortable working with us with regard to the above request, we ask that you please sign
below and return this agreement in the postage paid envelope. Please let us know as well if you feel that
you cannot comply. We need to receive your response no later than February 28 to be included on
this year’s RAGBRAI route.
YES - We agree to shut down at 2:30 PM
NO - We do not agree to the above conditions.
Signed this _____day of February 2015.
REPRESENTATIVE:
DES MOINES REGISTER AND
TRIBUNE COMPANY ("The Register")
BY: ___________________________________
SIGNATURE OF REPRESENTATIVE
BY_____________________________
T. J. Juskiewicz, RAGBRAI Director
___________________________________
TITLE
Please sign both copies and return them in the enclosed envelope.
They will be signed by The Register and one will be returned to you.
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BUDGET - SAMPLE
Income
Ham and egg breakfast
Pancake vendor @ Community Center
Waffle vendor @ Fire Station
Food booth #1
Food booth #2
Food booth #3
Kolaches - extra after event sales
Drinks - extra after event sales
Bike pins
Total Income
5,074.84
3,839.53
2,605.30
1,596.49
1,173.46
481.30
124.00
321.00
669.00
$15,875.92
Expenses
Ham and egg breakfast
Fruit, coffee, pop, etc.
Vendor expenses
Gatorade
Cokes/Diet Cokes
Bike pins
Port a Potties
Printing 2,000 copies of flier
Stickers map labels for Information Booth
Total Expenses
Profit
1,195.95
381.67
3,672.00
715.12
356.50
191.29
415.00
121.48
23.28
$7,072.29
$8,803.63
Distribution of Profit
Sesquicentennial 50 percent
14 organizations @ $300 each
1 organization
Donation to Knights of Columbus for hall rental
4,401.81
4,200.00
101.82
100.00
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IOWA DEPARTMENT OF INSPECTIONS AND APPEALS
Notes for RAGBRAI Towns
1)
Permits- Temporary Food Permits are required for all temporary food stands with a few
exceptions:
a.
If they are a non-profit group/organization, their stand is on their own property,
and they are not serving more than one day.
b.
A licensed Food Service Establishment that is operating a temporary food stand
on their own property.
c.
A temporary food stand that is selling only packaged non-potentially hazardous
foods, i.e. soda, Gatorade, chips, candy bars, etc.
2)
Applications for temporary food stands can be obtained from the Department of
Inspections & Appeals or from one of their local contracts. The cost of the license is
$33.50. I recommend that if your committees are holding meetings for the vendors, you
invite the food inspector to come and explain the food requirements and possibly issues
licenses.
3)
Potentially hazardous food (meats, sandwiches, pastas, cream-type salads, dairy
products, etc.) must come from a licensed food establishment.
4)
Food must be prepared on site or come from a licensed food establishment except that a
non-profit stand may serve non-potentially hazardous food (food pies, etc.) from an
unapproved source for the duration of the event.
5)
No bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods (food that requires no further cooking) will
be allowed in any licensed food stand. Utilize tongs, deli tissues, or plastic/latex gloves.
6)
Handwashing stations must be set up at all stands selling unpackaged foods. If hot and
cold running water is not available, utilize igloo coolers filled with hot/warm water, spigot
and catch basin. Provide hand cleanser and paper towels at the hand washing station.
7)
Potentially hazardous food must be kept hot (135ºF or above) or cold (41ºF or below).
8)
Food must be protected from contamination at all times.
9)
If bottled foods are stored in ice, the ice must be drained, so that the lids are not floating
in water where people are putting their hands.
10) Logs must be kept of all workers in temporary food stands, voluntary or not, for at least
30 days after the event, in the case follow-up of a foodborne illness outbreak is
necessary.
11) Ensure that there is enough electricity provided for the food vendor area. Recommend
that each food vendor give you an estimate of the equipment they will be utilizing that
requires electricity. Ensure that electricity is available prior to the food stands setting up.
12) By law local towns cannot charge food vendors a separate vendor fee from other
vendors. The Department of Inspections & Appeals or our designees/contracts are only
allowed to charge for a food license/permit in the state.
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VENDOR APPLICATION (Sample)
RAGBRAI® VENDOR APPLICATION – Booth Space is 10’ x 20’
Vendor Fee $300
(Add $100 extra 10’x10’)
$100
Electricity: $50
ORGANIZATION NAME
CONTACT PERSON
MAILING ADDRESS
CITY, STATE, ZIP
PHONE #:
FAX#:
SALES TAX PERMIT # OR FED ID # OR SOCIAL SECURITY #
PRODUCTS OR SERVICE:
Type of item (food, beverage, or other) that your organization would like to sell. Please list your choices and
approximate prices. If you plan to serve a meal, attach a menu, prices, and which meals that you plan to serve
on a separate sheet. Please list prices with and without wristbands.
How many people do you plan to serve? ___________
First Item: __________________________
Wristband Price $________ Without $________
Second Item: ________________________
Wristband Price $________ Without $________
Third Item: __________________________
Wristband Price $________ Without $________
Fourth Item: _________________________
Wristband Price $________ Without $________
What hours do you plan to be open? _____________________
Do you need electricity?
No
Yes
If yes, how many watts? ________
If you do not know the power consumption of all your equipment list them below:
Item
Quantity
Item
Quantity
Coffee maker (small)
________________
Coffee maker (large)
________________
Pop dispenser (watts_____)
________________
Roasters
________________
Crock pots
________________
Frying Pans
________________
Other_________________
________________
Other_________________
________________
Other_________________
________________
Other_________________
________________
How many sites do you need? _________
Will you be on your own property?
Yes
No
List any preference of location. _____________________________________________________
List all hazardous materials that will be at your site (gasoline, propane, cleaning materials, etc.)
_____________________________________________________________________
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY JUNE 1, 2015
YOUR APPLICATION CANNOT BE PROCESSED UNLESS THIS FORM IS COMPLETELY FILLED OUT,
THE VENDOR FEE IS ENCLOSED AND A COPY OF YOUR PROOF OF LIABILITY INSURANCE
COVERAGE IS ENCLOSED.
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ELECTRICAL SERVICE REQUEST - SAMPLE
Electrical Service Request
Please return this form by June 1 or no provisions will be made or allowed. All items are limited to 120-volt
regular current, unless otherwise noted below. Understand that we may have to place a restriction on how
much power is available upon receiving the total loads. Thank you for your cooperation
CONTACT NAME
COMMITTEE NAME
VENDOR NAME
LOCATION
PHONE #
Primary Use:
Item
Lighting
Refrigeration
Coffee Maker
Fountain Pop Machine
Roaster
Crock pot
Frying Pan
Other (please list)
_____________________ _____
Qty.
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
____ Approximate # of outlets
Size of service needed – specific requests:
Please return this form by June 1 to:
Mike Shock
RAGBRAI Electrical Committee
111 Wheel Street
Your Town, IA 55555
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VENDOR ORDINANCE – SAMPLE
City Ordinance (sample)
ORDINANCE NO.__________
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 5.34 IN THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF ANY TOWN AND
ENTITLED "RAGBRAI - MISCELLANEOUS PERMITS"
Be it enacted by the City Council of Any Town, Iowa:
SECTION 1: This ordinance as amended is enacted to help city officials and citizens deal with the public health and
safety problems created by the infusion of a large number of people into the City of Any Town when the Des Moines Register's
Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa™ (RAGBRAI®) arrives in Any Town on July XX, 201X, and departs on July XX, 201X.
SECTION 2: That Section 5.34 RAGBRAI - Miscellaneous Permits of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Any
Town, Iowa, be and the same is hereby amended to read as follows:
Chapter 5.34
RAGBRAI Ordinance - Miscellaneous Permits
Sections:
5.08.010
5.08.020
5.08.030
5.08.040
5.08.050
5.08.060
5.08.070
5.08.080
5.08.090
5.08.100
5.08.110
5.08.120
Commercial Booth-Permit Required
Commercial Booth Fees
Commercial Booth Location
Health Regulations
Commercial Booth Non-Food - Permit Required
Commercial Booth Non-Food Fees
Commercial Booth Non-Food Location
Glass Containers
Nuisance
Violations-Penalties
Effective Period
Street Closings
5.08.010 Commercial Booth - Permit Required. No person, club, group, organization, corporation or entity of any kind shall
provide or sell food to the public in Any Town on July XX, 200X or July XX, 200X, unless said person or entity shall first obtain a
Commercial Booth Permit from the City of Any Town through the City Clerk located at XXX North Market Street in Any Town,
Iowa. However, any person or entity which is a resident of Any County and in possession of a valid permit issued by the State of
Iowa for the sale of food to be consumed on its premises as of June X, 200X, or in possession of a current Iowa retail sales tax
permit, shall be exempt from the requirements of this Section.
5.08.020 Commercial Booth Fees. The fee for an Any Town Commercial Booth Permit shall be $400.00. Booth space is
20’ x 10’.
5.08.030 Commercial Booth Location. A vendor who has been granted an Any Town Commercial Booth permit shall
locate its temporary sale facility at a location to be determined by the official Any Town RAGBRAI Committee.
5.08.040 Health Regulations, A person or entity issued a commercial booth permit pursuant to this Chapter (a RAGBRAI
COMMERCIAL BOOTH PERMITTEE herein) shall comply with the Iowa Department of Health and Any County Department of
Health rules and regulations pertaining to the sale and dispensing of food for consumption on its premises.
5.08.080 Glass Containers. To promote safety during RAGBRAI, all beverages sold in Any Town, Iowa, by Commercial
Booth permittees, on July XX, 201X and until 10:00 a.m. on July XX, 201X, shall be sold in non-glass containers only. This
requirement shall also apply to any existing business, restaurant, service station, grocery store or other establishment selling
beverages on its premises in an outdoor setting open to the public.
5.08.090 Nuisance. The sale of food or the erection of a temporary facility for the sale of food or other merchandise without an
Any Town Commercial Booth or Any Town Commercial Booth Non-Food permit on July XX, 201X, in violation of the provisions
of this Chapter shall be considered a nuisance, as defined by Section 8.08 of the City Code of Ordinances. If this type of
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nuisance is determined to exist, an emergency abatement procedure pursuant to Subsection 8.08.080 of the City Code is
hereby authorized and may be executed by any peace officer or those acting at their direction by dismantling and removing the
nuisance without notice. However, if the only nuisance or violation of this chapter is the offender's failure to obtain the necessary
permit, the RAGBRAI Committee, in lieu of immediate abatement, may allow the person or organization to immediately purchase
(cash only) a necessary permit as provided by this Ordinance.
5.08.100 Violations - Penalties. Selling or supplying food or merchandise to any person without an Any Town Commercial
Booth or Any Town Commercial Booth Non-Food permit on July XX, 201X or July XX, 201X, or any violation of this chapter
shall be a simple misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $500.00 and/or a maximum of thirty (30) days in Jail.
Furthermore, any violation of this Chapter shall constitute a municipal infraction, as set forth in Chapter 8 of the City Code of
Ordinances, and, therefore, any civil penalties may likewise be assessed and enforced as set forth.
5.08.110 Effective Period. The provisions of this ordinance shall be effective from 5:00 a.m. (local time) on July XX, 201X until
5:00 p.m. (local time) on July XX, 201X.
5.08.120 Street Closings. During the effective dates of this ordinance and without prior Council approval regarding the
blocking of any city streets, any Name of City police officer, or those at their direction, may place barricades or road blocks in
any City street, alley or roadway to redirect vehicular traffic in order to enhance the proper and safe flow of bicycle and vehicular
traffic within the City limits of the City of Any Town.
SECTION 3: REPEALER. All ordinances or parts thereof in conflict with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby
repealed.
SECTION 4: SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. If any section, provision, or part of this ordinance shall be adjudged
invalid or unconstitutional such adjudication shall not affect the validity of this ordinance as a whole or any section,
provision, or party thereof not adjudged invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 5: WHEN EFFECTIVE. This ordinance shall be in effect from and after its final passage, approval, and
publication as provided by law.
Passed and approved by this Council on the __ day of _______, 201X.
_________________________
ANY ONE, Mayor
ATTEST:
ANY ONE, City Clerk
_________________
I certify that the foregoing was published as Ordinance No. ______
on the ___day of ______, 201X.
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IOWA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND FINANCE - SAMPLE
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IOWA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND FINANCE – SAMPLE
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IOWA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND FINANCE
Sponsor Report Form – Sample from 2010
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SEVERE WEATHER PLAN - SAMPLE
RAGBRAI
SEVERE WEATHER PLAN
JONES CITY
I.
Emergency Coordinator: Karen Waline, 722-5106
1.
Jones City High School
1009 Stery St.
Jones City, IA 50248
555-4301
Contact: Chief Henricks - 555-2403
Purpose
The purpose of this severe weather plan is to
develop a procedure for warning RAGBRAI
guests of approaching severe weather, and
to identify locations of safety where
RAGBRAI guests may seek shelter.
Immanuel Lutheran Church
604 Leaf Ave.
Jones City, IA 50248 555-4972
Contact: Pastor Thomas – 555-7744
II. Policy
The Hawkeye County Emergency
Management Agency, in cooperation with the
Hawkeye County Sheriff’s Office and the National
Weather Service, will monitor weather conditions
during the time RAGBRAI guests will be in town in
order to provide early warnings of approaching
severe weather.
RIVER CITY
1.
River City Middle School
206 S. Main St.
River City, IA 50236
555-4348
Contact: Chief Henricks - 555-2403
John Smith - 555-4165
2.
Salem Lutheran Church
102 S. Main St.
River City, IA 50236
555-4834
Contact: Steven Shay - 555-4676
3.
First Lutheran Church
101 W. Maple
River City, IA 50154
555-4047
Contact: Pastor Ross – 555-4666
III. Procedure
1.
The Hawkeye County Emergency
Management Agency will be advised of
approaching severe weather in a timely
manner by the National Weather Service
and the Hawkeye County Sheriff's Office.
Upon notification of approaching severe weather,
Hawkeye County Sheriff's Office will broadcast all
watches and warnings to local fire departments
and law enforcement agencies. The National
Weather Service shall broadcast thunderstorm and
tornado warnings over the NOAA Weather Radios.
Weather Radios will be offered to each of the
Emergency Coordinators for RAGBRAI in
Hawkeye County. Emergency shelters in each
community will be unlocked upon severe weather.
2.
MASONBERG
If a severe thunderstorm warning is issued
for Hawkeye County, all Law Enforcement
Agencies and RAGBRAI officials will be
notified by a broadcast from the Hawkeye
County Sheriff's Office. Law Enforcement
officers will announce the warning to all
RAGBRAI participants through their public
address systems from their patrol cars.
Riders will be notified to relocate to the
emergency shelters. If the National
Weather Service has issued a tornado
warning, the outdoor warning sirens shall
be activated within each of the
communities by the public officials.
Masonberg Elementary School
400 S. Latrobe
Masonberg, IA 50154
Contact: Stan Jones - 555-2302
Wally Louis - 555-2172
2.
52
Lutheran Church
50 S. Third St.
Masonberg, IA 50154
Contact: Pastor Williams - 555-2075
Wally Louis - 555-2172
VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT FORM – SAMPLE
Community groups have expressed a desire to pool resources and serve the bike riders a great breakfast as
they ride through town. All profits from this community effort will be donated back to projects for the
community. There will be many opportunities to help from setting up before they arrive, help during the
morning of the ride and after they have gone. Please fill out the form below and let us know when you are
available to help and what you would like to do.
Help make this day a success for the riders and our community!!
NAME or GROUP
MAILING ADDRESS
CITY, STATE, ZIP
PHONE #
E-MAIL
Check how you would like to help:
I want to help Thursday
I want to help EARLY Friday morning
I want to help Friday morning
I want to help Friday afternoon
I want to set up tables, tents, etc.
I want to donate food.
I want to serve food
I want to help with crowd control
I want to help clean up
Other _____________________
CONTACT:
RAGBRAI Committee
505 S. Bike Street
Your Town, IA 55555
555-909-5555
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CONTACTS
RAGBRAI NUMBERS AND ADDRESSES
MAILING ADDRESS
RAGBRAI
400 Locust Street, Suite 500
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Phone: 515-284-8341
Web: www.ragbrai.com
Email: info@ragbrai.com
PERSONNEL
T.J. Juskiewicz
RAGBRAI Director
Office: 515-284-8289
Mobile Phone: 515-371-3369
E-mail: tj@ragbrai.com
Scott Garner
RAGBRAI Assistant Director
Office: 515-284-8483
Mobile Phone: 515-229-4920
E-mail: scott@ragbrai.com
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Bob Libby
RAGBRAI Medical Director
Phone: 319-512-8811
E-mail: care@careambulance.us