Rock Rapids: 'The highest point on the route this year'

Tue July 17 2007
Posted Jul 17, 2007
8,275

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW KICKOFF TOWN STUFF: Rock Rapids serves as the starting point for this year's RAGBRAI. Bikes shipped will go to the Central Lyon Community School District to arrive by Friday. On Saturday, there will be 11 bike shops to assist with assembling bikes or last-minute repairs. Long-term parking is available at the airport for $20 and needs to be reserved in advance at chamber@rockrapids.com. (Long-term parking is also in Bellevue.) FOOD AND BEVERAGES: Vendors will be near the Lyon County Courthouse. DIPPING TIRES: The boat ramp in Island Park will be open for riders to dip their rear tires, a RAGBRAI tradition. NOON TO 9 P.M. BIKE EXPO: Cycling clinics, contests, demonstrations and more will be part of an expo Saturday at Central Lyon Senior High School. 2-8 P.M. SAFETY VIDEO: Watch a "ride right" safety video. 7:30 P.M. WORSHIP: There will be a community worship service at the Lyon County Fairgrounds. TOWN TRIVIA RAGBRAI HISTORY: Rock Rapids was an overnight town in 1979 and 1999. The theme in 1999 was “Wheel Show You a Good Time.” MORE HISTORY: The Lyon County town is named for its location on the Rock River and was incorporated on April 18, 1885. Its most famous citizen is Jerry Mathers. POPULATION: 2,576 TIDBIT: The RAGBRAI crowd should look for the murals around town that depict Rock Rapids’ history — racetrack, railroad and Island Park. Elisha Yeakel, executive director of the Community Affairs Corp. of Rock Rapids Q. How would you describe Rock Rapids? A. Rock Rapids is small, very comforting. We are close neighbors. Q. How are you planning to welcome riders? A. We plan to welcome the riders with, you know, just having events for them going on all afternoon on Saturday. We've got entertainment lined up beginning early in the afternoon. We plan to treat these people as if they were raised here, live here - you know, just like they are our neighbors. Q. What is your theme, and how did you choose it? A. Our theme is "Wild Wild Northwest." The reason that was chosen was because we are in the northwest corner of Iowa, and it's all downhill from here because of our elevation. We are the highest point on the route this year for RAGBRAI. We just like to have fun. We're excited. This is the third time - my first time, actually - being involved with it. The group that we've got, the committee members, they're all a wild bunch. We're here to have fun and just to make this thing really worthwhile. Q. Why did you want to be on the route this year? A. I thought, wouldn't it be awesome being the new director to have RAGBRAI start here. And lo and behold I filled out all of the paperwork, sent in a few extra things, and we were chosen. Q. How are you preparing? A. The biggest thing is where are we going to put all of these people. Campgrounds, housing, whether we tent them, whether they stay in someone's home. ... We are working very hard and very diligently to get these people placed. We want them to be here to have fun and know that they're going to be taken care of while they're here. Q. Is there anything else you want to say? A. We can't wait to get it here; it's the biggest thing that I guess I've ever accomplished in my life. ... We're here to show them a good time, you know. We know it's a short overnight, but we want them to look back and say, "We had the most fun there," or, "It was exciting, we can't wait to come back again."