Towns ramp up for RAGBRAI
July 16, 2008 · Jake Krob

Lisbon and Mount Vernon are quickly ramping up for an onslaught of thousands of bicyclists and their support teams.

The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) travels through the two communities Friday, July 25, en route from an overnight in North Liberty and a final overnight stay in Tipton. They'll be arriving early in the morning, passing by Sutliff and coming into Lisbon on Washington Street. From there, they'll head to Mount Vernon on the Old Lincoln Highway route, travel through downtown and leave going north on Springville Road.

Volunteers are still needed to help with local RAGBRAI activities. To help in Lisbon, call one of the co-chairs, Beryl O'Connor (455-2714) or Bob Hill (455-2931). In Mount Vernon, volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks - like directing vehicles, selling beverages and taking pictures of bicyclists at photo ops. Those wishing to help can contact co-chair Brenda Langenberg at Hills Bank in Mount Vernon (895-4018).

Lisbon, the first stop locally, has a Sauerkraut theme, tying into the community's Sauerkraut Days celebration. Resident Jerry Dietsch is designing a water feature out of PVC pipe to mist bicyclists as they come into town.

Downtown Lisbon will be full of activities. An Iowa Telecom trailer will give people a chance to check e-mail and charge devices like cell phones and laptops. There will be a beer tent near the fire station. Antique tractors, with a cable stretched between them, will be on Main Street for an easy way to park bikes. A dozen or more vendors - all local - will be set up in the downtown area serving everything from watermelon and roasted sweet corn to pizza and brats and 'kraut.

"We're going to have everything," Hill said.

A map at the Lisbon History Center will give people a chance to pin the locations of their hometowns.

At the port-o-pottys, the Chicago Urban Bicycling Society (CUBS), of which Lisbon native Mike Conklin is a member, will be having its popular KYBO Roulette. It's set to start around 10 a.m. At Lincoln Square, local musicians will be performing.

As bicyclists leave Lisbon, they'll have a choice of throwing their recyclables like water bottles into a dumpster with an image of John McCain or one with Barack Obama, as a "trash vote" for the presidential candidates.

As part of RAGBRAI's cruise through Lisbon, the community is calling the distance between Sutliff and Lisbon the "Kraut Route," what they hope becomes an annual ride for the two communities.

"We're committed to an overnight," Hill said of one of the goals of Lisbon's work.

Already, Lisbon is on the RAGBRAI map. Its website, www.lisboniowa.net, is getting hundreds of hits. And orders are piling up for t-shirts, featuring Lisbon's RAGBRAI logo. A portion of the sales of the shirts, created by Rickard Sign and Design, will go to the Sutliff Bridge Authority and its goal to repair the bridge that was ravaged by the Flood of 2008.

Activities in Lisbon begin at 6 a.m. and are to end at 2 p.m. That night, the Lisbon Fire Department will have its street dance and there will be a "Final Season" movie showing at Lincoln Square.

Mount Vernon is what's known as a "meet-up" community on the RAGBRAI route. Each day, between overnights, one community is chosen in which both bicyclists and their support vehicles are allowed to stop.

Langenberg said the local committee has been told that will mean having up to 500 vehicles in town at any given moment during RAGBRAI's stop here. Cornell is opening up five of its lots for support vehicles. They'll also likely be parking along streets and residents are asked to park their vehicles in their driveways, if possible.

As bicyclists come into Mount Vernon from Lisbon, they'll travel west on First Street. Langenberg said activities will begin near the fire station and run all the way to Cornell.

A deejay will be playing tunes at the Memorial Park gazebo. Also at that location will be a beverage tent. All throughout First Street will be vendors - some from in town and some from out of town.

Mount Vernon has a "POWerful" superhero theme and at least five community members will be dressed up as superheroes, handing out stickers to promote the community. Langenberg said Cornell plans to have rams with "Little Bo Peep" herding them around. The enormous Robert's Dairy cow will be here, as will a large blow-up gorilla.

"We want to have fun things to see," Langenberg said.

Vendors are asked to open at 6 a.m., and close at 2:30 p.m. to encourage RAGBRAI participants to make their way on the route to Tipton.

Langenberg said volunteers are needed for two-hour shifts, as well as for set-up Thursday, July 24. Many of those pitching in to help are doing so for a half or full day.

"We just want to showcase what Mount Vernon has to offer," she added. "It's a great community to live in, work in and visit."