MUSCATINE, Iowa–Along with summer favorites like Almost Friday Fest and the Muscatine Art Center Ice Cream Social, Muscatine residents have an additional summer event to look forward to, RAGBRAI. Because Muscatine will serve as a meeting town for the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, Mayor Brad Bark visited the Muscatine Rotary Club to share information about RAGBRAI and how Muscatine will give visiting cyclists a warm welcome.
Though Muscatine has served as an end city for RAGBRAI seven times, and the ride has passed through different parts of Muscatine County numerous times, this will represent its first time as a meeting town. Unlike a pass-through town where riders go through town without stopping, meeting towns offer places for cyclists to pause, have a meal, and regroup before continuing to the day’s end city.
While RAGBRAI always draws a big crowd, Bark shared that organizers expect an enormous number to participate in the 50th annual ride. To celebrate this anniversary, officials have not capped the number of riders who can register. So far, about 22,000 people have signed up to ride in RAGBRAI. However, with the addition of riders joining in for particular stretches and unofficial tagalongs, Bark said 44,000 people or more (including support vehicle drivers and the like) could come through Muscatine.
Muscatine Mayor Brad Bark with Rotary Club of Muscatine Past President Naomi DeWinter following his talk about RAGBRAI. Photo by Margaret Hurlbert.
Since the official announcement that Muscatine would serve as a meeting town came in February, Bark and many others representing Muscatine County, the City of Muscatine, and various local organizations have worked diligently to prepare for the event. With attention given to marketing the event, addressing legal and financial considerations, putting safety measures in place, and putting on social events, the local planning committee and its various pods have planned a day enjoyable for everyone who rides through.
Bright and early Saturday, the first riders will leave Coralville and pass through West Liberty before entering Muscatine via Hershey Avenue and Mississippi Drive. Once riders arrive at the riverfront, they may park their bikes in a designated area overseen by volunteers. Up and down Riverside Park, visitors can enjoy lunch from food trucks, a beer garden, free watermelon slices, water and pie in the Red Brick Building, and get any minor medical care or bike repairs they need. Before moving on, riders can do a Double Dip in the Missip, rolling their bike tires into the river in Muscatine before the final dip in Davenport. Throughout the morning and afternoon, riders can enjoy live music too. Tiny’s Tunes will DJ, and the bands Aftershock and Fair Warning will play, adding a more festive air to the occasion.
United Way will provide volunteers in different capacities to ensure the event goes off without a hitch. From safety people to watermelon cutters to golf cart shuttle drivers to traffic controllers to setup and teardown crews, local helpers will make all the difference for a successful RAGBRAI experience. To volunteer to assist with the RAGBRAI activities, you can sign up on the United Way of Muscatine website.
