Route Inspection Ride: Day 5 – Charles City to Waterloo

We were joined for Thursday’s ride with some Charles City committee members as well as some area friends.  Bill Neal (the local RIDE RIGHT chair from Nashua), his brother Dick Neal (Charles City), Scott Garner and Tim Mulcahy (Dream Team mentors from Des Moines), Mark Wyatt (the Iowa Bicycle Coalition executive director from Iowa City), Wade Clark (Cedar Falls) and Jim Thompson (Shell Rock) joined the pre-ride team for the 82 mile ride from Charles City to Waterloo.

Today’s ride was the first time this week that we had to pull off the road due to dangerous weather.  With driving rain and wind gusts over 50 miles an hour, the pre-ride team deemed it unsafe to continue the ride after 60 miles into the day.  Riding with a handful of riders is quite a bit different than riding RAGBRAI with thousands of riders and the Iowa State Patrol looking after you on the roadways.

The ride had quite a bit more climb then the past few days, but no climbs that were too memorable.  There were plenty of pass-through towns as we will visit five towns during the 82-mile ride. 

Here are some facts and points of interest from each town.

Clarksville

Clarksville has a population of 1,441 residents. Located along the Shell Rock River, Clarksville is in Butler County.

The pre-ride squad had to circumnavigate a street carnival as the town was setting up for the start of Pioneer Days.  Clarksville has hosted this summer festival for over 40 years.  These same streets will be the center of activity for the town’s RAGBRAI celebration several weeks later. 

The town is planning lots of food including breakfast burritos, pancakes, homemade pies, fruits and drinks.  Riders will be entertained by area kids in Clarksville’s own variety show.  On display will be the unique yellow fire truck, a 1955 International that is a parade favorite and a slew of classic cars to capture the essence of the Clarksville theme, “Let the Good Times Roll!”

The downtown is home to two popular taverns: Docs and Pete & Shorty’s.  Pete & Shorty’s has been a landmark for over 75 years and was the inspiration for Hooters.  The founders of Hooters, Ed Droste and Dennis Johnson, grew up in nearby Waverly and had great memories of this neighborhood tavern were retirees played poker, gossiped over morning coffee and people celebrated special days of their lives.  The Hooters Management Group bought the rights to use the Pete & Shorty’s name from that tavern’s owners.  They have opened Pete & Shorty’s joints in Florida, Texas and Las Vegas in recent years that pays homage to their childhood tavern.  They even serve a shortys (mini burgers) and egg and cheese sandwiches that the pre-riders sampled the real thing in Clarksville.

Clarksville has multiple parks and trails. Heery Woods State Park has many buildings from the 1930s and offers a good spot for canoeing, fishing, hiking, and biking. Rolling Prairie Bike trail runs through the state park and has scenic views of bridges and natural canopies. Volunteer City Park has basketball courts, tennis courts, modern playground, softball/baseball diamonds, and horseshoe pits.

1999, was the last time RAGBRAI stopped in Clarksville. This will be the ride’s third time through Clarksville.

Parkersburg (Meeting Town)

This will be the first stop that RAGBRAI has made to Parkersburg, the home to 1,900 Iowans in Butler County.

Parkersburg has survived the “great fire of Parkersburg” in 1893 and in 2008 an EF-5 tornado. The fire could be seen 25 miles away and burned down most of the business district. The tornado destroyed 282 homes, 22 businesses, 37 living assistance residences, and took 8 lives. Parkersburg has since built hundreds of homes and many businesses are back up and running.

The town will direct riders through downtown and then along 2^nd street where they will see where the tornado ripped through town.  The committee will have signs that show from EF-1 through EF-5 the path of the twister.  You’ll see the portions of towns that were spared to those that have been rebuilt.  The library and Bethel Church will feature slide shows and have some residents on hand that will share their experiences of surviving the tornado. 

The food vendors will be located along a few blocks of Main Street and Bob Dorr and the Blue Band will be playing up the street from 10:30am – 1:30pm at the Civic Center for rider’s to enjoy.  

Aplington-Parkersburg High School will also be open for tours.  The high school was rebuilt after being destroyed by the tornado.  Legendary football coach Ed Thomas was one of the town leaders who pushed to rebuild the high school’s football field as a way to boost community spirits in the town of 1,900 following the tornado. Thomas was honored as the NFL High School Coach of the Year in 2005 and four of his former players are in the NFL including Aaron Kampman, Brad Meester, Jared DeVries and Casey Wiegmann. Coach Thomas was tragically slain last June shocking the community and all of Iowa.  The football field is now known as Ed Thomas Field.

Parkersburg theme is “Upward, Onward, Forward” which honors the town and our country.  The town’s patriotism will be on display for RAGBRAI.  The town was happy for the safe return of some locals from the 445^th from Waterloo that returned from Iraq.

Special thanks to Amy Truax and Mayor Perry Bernard for hosting the pre-riders this afternoon.  I learned I have a bit in common with the Mayor as he informed me that he attended the University of Florida and is a huge Gator fan as I am! 

Stout

“Small Town, Big Heart”, is the motto of the 217 Stout residents. Residing in Grundy County, Stout is minutes away from the Waterloo and Cedar Falls metro area.

With a rural small town charm, Stout is known for its safe community. Stout has a great education program for children, fun for family and friends, and has opportunities right around the corner.

Stout was last visited by RAGBRAI in 2007. This will be the second year that the ride has stopped in Stout.

Dike

Dike was founded by and named after Thomas Chester Dike a railroad engineer. Dike’s population is 944 residents and is located in Grundy County. Adjacent to Highway 20, Dike is a bedroom community to the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area. The town celebrates Watermelon Days each August

The parks of Dike provide opportunities for recreation such as swimming, tennis, racquetball, volleyball, and walking/biking.  The town is trying to save its pool as major repairs are needed although it will open for RAGBRAI to enjoy.

Riders will enjoy the activities along Main Street including food vendors, entertainment and a beverage garden.  The route will then wind through the Fox Ridge neighborhoods to the golf club.  A live band will entertain riders and plenty of food and drink will be on hand.  The course will sponsor a $10,000 golf contest as well.

1998, was RAGBRAI’s last visit to Dike. This year will mark RAGBRAI’s third visit.

Hudson

Hudson is a community west of Waterloo with just over 2,100 residents.  This Black Hawk County town has not hosted RAGBRAI since the 70’s.

Hudson will welcome riders with their theme “Pirate Island: Smooth Sailing from Here!”  The Hudson Pirate High School cheerleaders will welcome riders to town surrounded by a pirate sailboat so get your cameras ready.  Cute baby animals are also waiting to be pet.  There will also be a dunk tank and walking of the plank. 

The big bull will let you know you arrived in the heart of downtown.  Tons of food will be available including huge turkey legs, lots of homemade pie, ham ball wraps, BLTs, sweet corn and root beer floats.

The Ramblers (70’s rock and roll) and Highway Heavies (Smooth Jazz) will be in town to entertain the riders.

Waterloo

Waterloo is excited to be hosting RAGBRAI after a 25 year hiatus.  The main activity area will be at the Lost Island Water Park.  This 74-acre recreation park is Iowa’s premier water park with water slides, miniature golf, go-karts and a water coaster that opens this summer. 

The Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Gardens is near the quiet campground at Hawkeye Community College.  The Arboretum offer visitors a wonderful array of native Iowa plants, trees, and flowers. The six gardens on this lovely 75-acre site showcase the incredible natural variety of the region.

The local committee will have efficient shuttles that will bring riders to downtown including the Grout Museum of History and Science, the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum and the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum.

The Cedar Valley’s also boasts an outstanding recreational trail system. Over 80 miles of hard-surfaced trails configured in a series of loops offer users a variety of experiences from peaceful wooded areas along lakes and streams to area attractions.

The headliner for Waterloo RAGBRAI is The Fab Four – The Ultimate Tribute. The band will begin at 8 PM. Admission to the concert is free to those wearing a Waterloo RAGBRAI t-shirt or wristband. Those not wearing a shirt or wristband will pay $2 at the beverage garden the day of the event. Tickets will not be sold in advance.

The Fab Four is elevated far above every other Beatles Tribute due to their precise attention to detail. With uncanny, note-for-note live renditions of Beatles’ songs, the Fab Four will make you think you’re watching the real thing.  Hear record-perfect live performances of such classics as “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Yesterday,” “A Day In The Life,” “Penny Lane,” “Here Comes The Sun,” and “Hey Jude.”

This incredible stage show includes three costume changes representing every era of the Beatles ever-changing career. This loving tribute to the Beatles has amazed audiences around the world, including Japan, Malaysia, France, Hong Kong, The United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico and Brazil.  For more information about The Fab Four – The Ultimate Tribute, visit their web site at www.thefabfour.com.

Waterloo is in the process of booking state and local musical acts and family activities! Stay tuned to this page to get the updates as they happen

Waterloo has hosted RAGBRAI twice, the last time in 1985.

Day 6  – Friday, June 11

We certainly hope that the weather is better on Friday as we ride from Waterloo to Manchester.  Tune in tomorrow for another report from the Route Inspection Ride!

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