The 11th annual banquet of the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association will be held Saturday, Feb. 24th, at the West Des Moines Marriott Hotel.
Guest Speaker - There will be a little different feel -- and maybe even more fun -- at the 11th annual fundraising banquet of the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association on Saturday, Feb. 24, in the grand ballroom of the Marriott Hotel here. Instead of having a keynote speaker, as the association has had at most of its past 10 banquets, there will be three different shorter messages. The three will tell an amazing story about the growth of bicycling in general in Iowa, as well as the mushrooming popularity of the RRVT. Our 89-mile paved trail connects 14 communities and three counties in west central Iowa to the trail system of the Des Moines metropolitan area and its trail system, and the RRVT draws more than 350,000 users per year.
After the late-afternoon social hour and early-evening banquet meal, we'll hear a reflection from Scott Sumpter, of the Des Moines area, who has become one of the best-known bicyclists in Iowa and has a well-deserved reputation as a quick-witted raconteur about the sport. Following Sumpter's stories, trail & art activist Jim Miller, of rural Waukee, will deliver an update on the $1.1 million "Waukee Railroad Pergola -- in the shadow of the rails" public art project, which will be dedicated on the RRVT this spring. Then Mike Wallace, director of Dallas County Conservation and one of the preeminent trail developers in the nation, will update the fundraising campaign for the $5 million, 9-mile "Connector" trail, on which work will start this spring to link the RRVT and High Trestle Trails.
The banquet is the RRVT Association's one fundraiser of every year, generating the financial resources the non-profit group uses to market and promote the trail and all the communities along it, as well as providing matching funds for some grants. And this year, in order to assist the campaign for donations for the "Connector" trail, the association will do a dollar-for-dollar match for the first $7,500 donated to that fund at the banquet. The banquet is the biggest annual fundraiser for the RRVT Association, the non-profit organization that markets and promotes the 89-mile paved trail in west central Iowa.
Cooper Riley, of Clive, president of the RRVT Association, said the plan is "to have a fun, high energy event to celebrate the trail, and raise funds to continue marketing and promoting it."
The social hour will start at 4:45 p.m., followed by a banquet meal. There will be silent and live
auctions of items that will have special appeal to trail users and
supporters.
Event Schedule:
4:45 - Social Gathering with complimentary beer/cash bar
5:30 - Sit down dinner
7:00 - Program and Live Auction
On the menu
Local Farmland™ Sliced Herb and Garlic Roasted Pork Loin | Mustarda De Fruiti
Asiago Dauphinoise
Italian Chop Salad, Broccolini, Tuscan Rolls and Butter
Starbucks™ Coffee, Iced Tea, and Lemonade
Chocolate Overload
Order Tickets
see the link below