Vendors and RAGBRAI
- 13 May, 2018
- Jared

I figured it was time that I as RAGBRAI Director waded into the current controversy concerning vending on RAGBRAI.
I first want to say that the people being vilified are really good people that love their communities and are excited to host RAGBRAI. Some of these county folks being blasted sit in on weekly planning meetings trying to make your RAGBRAI experience great. They don’t deserve the vile comments that some people have launched. They are good people and deserve a respectful conversation not to be labeled and compared to Hitler.
The host towns and counties have supported RAGBRAI from day one. The overnight towns entertained riders, kept them safe and provided places to camp at night. When RAGBRAI first started, riders stopped into towns they rode through and they were handed watermelon slices by hospitable Iowans. As RAGBRAI’s numbers grew, the riders then started to have church stands set up to sell a few items as fundraisers for their church.
From day one of RAGBRAI and through today, RAGBRAI has never made one penny off a food vendor or a percentage or has coordinated vending of food in any way. People that have insinuated this are completely wrong.
Over time, the number of riders grew and grew and there became opportunities to feed hungry riders and provide drinks to thirsty riders, and of course to make money. What started out as RAGBRAI being able to help these small Iowa towns by the local Volunteer Fire Departments selling beer along with the local tavern, the Catholic Church selling brats and the Boy Scouts selling Gatorade was the reason, a big reason that towns love to host the event. And riders felt good that they were helping good causes along the way.
I have been involved with RAGBRAI for the past 16 years. One as a rider and 15 as the director. RAGBRAI has changed a whole lot over those years. One thing that stands out is that there is about 3 times the number of road vendors selling food, drink and alcoholic beverages along the way. Most of the non-profits (churches, scouts, etc) set up in their towns and pay a nominal vendor fee to help pay for toilets, extra police, barricades, bands, etc. Many traveling for profits also set up in these towns and pay the fee to set up. Tender Tom’s and Farm Boys Burritos are a few examples of long time vendors that do this. Everyone is happy.
There are others that want to avoid paying a vendor fee and set up at a rural location. Most of these locations are at farmsteads with permission or simple set up on the county right of way without permission. Some counties have no ordinances, but will still have their food inspector out inspecting. It makes it difficult as the inspectors have no idea where these vendors are as they simply pop up. They have shut many down for unsafe food and we have had riders get food poisoning due to these practices. So yes, there are some safety reasons to control some vending. There are others that set up right on the road and the lines and bikes are gathered on the roadway, again not safe. Others at an intersection, so you can understand that there are many real examples of unsafe location and unsafe practices to set up. Most counties simply want them to set up in a safe place and know their location in advance so they can be inspected.
Other counties will charge a vendor fee in these unincorporated areas at the same rate as the pass-through towns in the area or the overnight towns. These fees are used to help set costs like having every deputy work that Sunday instead of the normal quarter of them that would work that day. Same with the county ambulances. The counties also do road repairs to make your ride safer. Monona County is out patching the roadways and replacing portions of road on the route to make it safer. So a county will have an ordinance that says you can set up in the pass-through towns and pay their fees or set up in the rural parts and pay the county fee. You would be amazed at how out of town vendors complain that they have to pay a small fee to set up. Those out of town vendors will make thousands of dollars that day and are asking to chip in the offset the cost of the toilets and extra police.
The main thing that we are concerned with RAGBRAI is the safety of the riders. The situation a few years back where there were no vendors or water for a 20-mile stretch is flat out dangerous and I vowed not to let that happen. The distance between Monona County towns are about 6-8 miles apart. There are 4 towns over the 31-mile stretch of route through their county. The other thing unique in their county is that there are only a handful of rural spaces to potential set up and there are windy roads and downhills and very few homesteads that are actually close to the roadway. I heard from one veteran rural vendor that claimed there were no spots along that 31-mile route for us so we are going into the town of Ute to work with them. This is one of the most recognizable vendors of the ride that realized that there are very few options.
We have also heard the story of an elderly widow that lives in a farmstead in Monona County. She had a visit from a coffee vendor seeking a location. She let him into her home. After a few minutes she kindly said no she didn’t want to have him sell at her homestead and asked him to leave. He kept trying to convince her otherwise. She called her son to come over as she was scared and the vendor left. They felt it was a scam or something and checked with authorities. Most vendors are extremely nice and the visits don’t go that way, but this one spooked the lady pretty bad.
So RAGBRAI’s stance is that we encourage cities to have ordinances in place and sometime counties to have ordinances in place that require food vendors to have a food license (required by the state) and in some circumstances charge the vendors a vendor fee. We feel it is not asking much for a vendor to help defray the costs. The business owners in that town are licensed and insured and support that community year-round. They should have a banner day the day RAGBRAI rolls into town and they don’t pay a fee as it is their business. But why should we push for an ice cream vendor from another town or state to pay nothing and set up in front of an ice cream shop that is there all year? Is that helping local business in Iowa? We don’t think so. So to ask them to pay a fee to set up is not asking much. The little girl in town selling lemonade is not affected as it is cute and Americana.
The biggest question here is the ordinance that asks all vendors to go into towns. I think we need good conversation to see if local officials could have some more flexibility. If you call them Hitler and money grabbers and threaten to boycott, that does not help the situation. I will certainly have the conversation with towns to have some options for out of town vendors. In all towns currently they have the option to set up in the towns and pay the vendor fees and be licensed by the state. Options outside of the communities could be respectfully discussed and will be. RAGBRAI is still two months away.
If you think towns and counties make a killing on RAGBRAI you are sorely mistaken. They are trying to cover costs and let their non-profits and local businesses do well. We have had a few towns that say they lose money by hosting RAGBRAI as out of town or out of state vendors set up right outside of town and took a good chunk of business and went back to their home and did not help their local economy one bit. These towns are skeptical to agree to host RAGBRAI in the future if this practice continues.
Let’s be honest here. RAGBRAI will not continue to exist without the towns and counties supporting the event. If all of the business goes to the outside vendors and not the locals, RAGBRAI will not continue to exist. RAGBRAI is all for the local fire departments and local taverns selling beer and having a great day. We are for local churches selling pie and the Cattlemen selling steak sandwiches and the 4H kids selling pork burgers to pay for the trip to state fairs. We are for the bands and cheerleaders selling Gatorade and snacks. This is what built RAGBRAI into the great event that it is. There is also room for outside vendors to come in and provide good food and drink. If they do that they need to play by the rules and in some instances pay the vendor fees to cities or counties as they are coming in and taking away revenue from local businesses and local charitable causes.
If you are asking me to go to bat with no rules and no fees for a for-profit company, that is not from the town or even a 4-hour drive from these counties, who comes to RAGBRAI and sells their goods and gives back a whopping $0 of their enormous profits over the past several years to charitable causes but in fact put every dollar into their own pockets, that will not be a fight I will fight. This will be the beginning of the end of RAGBRAI when we side with for-profit companies benefitting over the local fire departments, local bars and girls scouts. I will not continue to be the director if this is the direction the riders want RAGBRAI to take and I believe RAGBRAI will end in the near future when you forgot about the towns and people and businesses in these towns who helps build this great event.
So we are happy to have civil conversations with these good people in these counties. They truly are great people that love their town, Iowa and RAGBRAI. They are not greedy and they do want to keep people safe at all times.
I hope RAGBRAI continues until I retire and then I have a chance to ride it again as a retiree. At that point I hope I can buy a brat from a Boy Scout a beer from a VFW or an outside beer truck that plays by the rules and helps the local causes by chipping in.
Thanks for listening, now I’m going back with my family to spend the rest of this Mother’s Day enjoying their company.
Sincerely
TJ Juskiewicz,
RAGBRAI Director
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TJ,
As we I used to say and they still say in the Navy for a job well done, BRAVO ZULU!
A well written explanation on the spirit of RAGBRAI and the very few rules to keep us all safe.
Look forward to being between the corn and beans in 10 weeks.
Evin
TJ….retire? I would prefer that you not retire until we say so.
RIDE RIGHT
Perfect comment Evan. Bravo Zulu indeed! D
“To control safety and well-being of the public during the RAGBRAI visit to Crawford County on the 22nd and 23rd of July, 2018 the sale of food, beverages, services, or merchandise to the public by way of a temporary stand or distribution area in the unincorporated areas of Crawford County, Iowa, on July 22nd and/or July 23rd, 2018, is hereby declared to be in violation of this Ordinance.” http://www.iowacraftbeertent.com/images/CrawfordProposedOrdinance.pdf
Monona County has a similar ordinance that stipulates NO permits will be issued with Crawford allowing with caveats. http://www.iowacraftbeertent.com/images/MononaResolution.pdf
Iowa Craft Beer has been vocal concerning these ordinances and states: “Requiring ALL vendors to be set-up within the city limits each day will cause additional crowd control issue that many towns are not equipped to handle and long rides between towns on hot humid Iowa days does not sound like fun or a safe option for riders.”
It’s good to hear that this is all about our safety and not money.
The 8,500 weekly + 1,500 day riders contribute over $250,000 per day plus tax or an additional $15,000. This a reasonable fee and many do not pay. Some estimates are as many as 25,000 riders on given days. An additional 15,000 add to safety concerns.
TJ is willing to work with all sides and negotiate. Of course service could be refused to anyone without a valid wrist band (just kidding folks) so no need to call me a Nazi.
CHEERS
Being from California, I have always been impressed with the Iowa hospitality. I love the people, the hall and church dinners, the local clubs and their breakfast burritos among so many other amazing things. I love the feeling of supporting towns and their local needs. I’m glad you are in a position to fight for them and what is right.
Jer
I would be nice if outside vendors were required to have sponsorship at each location, a non profit charity, boy scouts, the senior class band trip, a new Veterens Plaza. They could display who they are supporting at each stop, If there is no benefit to the local community the community loses. Don’t let outside vendors do to Ragbri small towns what Interstate highway gas, restaurant and convenience centers did by keeping the traffic and dollars away. I rode on 8, 9 and 10 and remember eating my way across the state in bars and churches. I hope RAGBRI riders never lose the feeling that it is Iowans who invited them in, and support them on this ride. Today when i ride i always look for a local connection. (I’m afraid to ask about Beekmans, that Ice Cream is way to hard to pass up). thanks for all you do.
What makes RAGBRAI unique is the Iowa hospitality. Personally, I avoid any food stop that is not a local business, church group, youth group or local fund raiser. Each stop is a unique experience where you meet wonderful people and always have delightful conversations. And by any standards, the food and meals are inexpensive. In most of the towns the RAGBRAI riders outnumber towns people by a large factor. So, it is appropriate for these communities to exercise some degree of control over the event as these communities’ resources are taxed well beyond anything they can reasonably be expected to provide. Yet somehow, they provide a fantastic experience.
Thanks for all of your efforts and hard work to make RAGBRAI a success!
I’ve been on about 10 or more Ragbrai events over the years, and let’s face it, food and refreshment is a big part of the experience, no matter where it comes from. Personally, I like the homemade food, which seems like a ‘guilt free treat’ as I ride through the farmland.
Early on (the early 1980s), I remember going through small towns and being quite hungry, to find that the local restaurant was completely overwhelmed and out of many items. So being able to pick a place along the way to pull over and have a sandwich, a smoothie, breakfast, lunch, drink etc. is a very nice option.
It’s my opinion that we need both the locals and the ‘commercial’ vendors, the locals because it’s great to see them benefit economically from the ride (which is my primary hope), and the ‘commercials’ that would peacefully coexist to meet the large demands of feeding/watering 15,000 riders. I also recommend that the vendors be dispersed along the route, so it’s not too far without a place to rest and revive, if needed.
Sorry to hear that there is contention about all of this… Let’s all be humans that care about each other.
Thank you TJ for remembering the true spirit of RAGBRAI and what it means to the state, the communities and to the riders who are happy and proud to support them. I hope you can reach a solution where everyone feels like they win. I can’t imagine a world without RAGBRAI. Thank you for all you do. Hang in there!!
Just one comment: will the licensing of vendors have to display a certificate or something else to show that they have ponied up a fee to be legal? And a sample of that certificate could be included in our pick-up package so we would know who and who not to patronize on our joyous travels across this wonderful state.
The location of which a vendor is based out of, whether it’s local, regional, national or global, is completely irrelevant to the wording of the ordinance. The issue is WHERE services can be rendered lawfully in Monona county. Please read the wording of the ordinance in question. http://www.mononacounty.org/BOS/MayMinutes/05012018.pdf
TJ, thanks for a thoughtful analysis and for the work you do in coordinating such a wonderful event. Sad that some will take advantage and game the spirit and intent of RAGBRAI. It’s important in unsettled times like these, where honest discourse and debate are hijacked by mean spirited folks that we all stand up for what is right. Well said and well done!
I prefer to eat in the towns instead of on the road. The towns have access to running water where they can keep their hands clean with soap & water. That is much healthier for us riders. Also, I like to see what each town has to offer. I like to support the churches. Those are usually the places I stop first. I stop at fire stations also. I have never been disappointed in any of the vendors. Great Job TJ, Please don’t retire for a few years yet.
Also as I pass by the traffic controllers, I try to thank them, because they are the ones keeping the riders safe. They do such a great job.
TJ Thanks for the thoughtful and informative response. My only question concerns the vague implications “small fee” and “some counties lose money”. What is the range of vendor fees and which counties lost how much money when?
Hard to argue with buying a brat from a local boy scout versus a fee ducking international conglomerate but the cold hard facts concerning the cash seem hard to find.
Has any “Official RAGBRAI Vendor” signage been considered – for those vendors that have been confirmed to have “played by the rules” set forth by RAGBRAI, counties, and towns? I would only spend my cash at those places, but I need help differentiating who’s who. I feel there is a place for coexistence – as small town populations have shrunk, there is an increasing need for vendors in order to fully support riders in many pockets of the state.
Thank you for the thoughtful response. Perhaps Monona COunty will work out, since the small towns are so close together ont he route. But in Crawford County, there are only Charter Oak (Day 1) Denison (overnight) and Aspinwall (Day 2). Charter Oak to Denison is about 14 miles, which may be an uncomfortable distance for some, especially coming in the afternoon, depending on the weather. We will be well advised to fill up on water in Charter Oak.
Day 2 is likely a problem, if there are no vendors between Denison and Aspinwall (~20 miles). Aspinwall is listed with a population of 40, and its city limits do not extend to the route, so it will be a detour with traffic going in and out from the main route. Manila seems to have city limit frontage on IA-141, so maybe there is a way to get a vendor set-up about 15 miles from Denison. Also, if people do not get breakfast in Denison, it will be difficult to feed everyone in such a tiny town as Aspinwall. I would predict massive congestion in that area in the morning. Perhaps Crawford County could see its way clear to allow vendors some place 10 miles out of Denison on Day 2? For the safety and convenience of all concerned.
TJ,
My son and I had the pleasure of riding RAGBRAI in 2016…..our first time. We both lead busy lives, but can’t wait to ride it again, hopefully making it an annual event. We were lucky enough to chat with you in Creston and you were so generous with your time and kindness despite, I’m sure, having a lot (understatement) on your plate. What you manage to pull off each year is extraordinary. You are the RAGBRAI guru! I wasn’t aware of the controversy, but the bellyachers can go lay down…. the rest of us will keep riding! Keep up the awesome work you do….and thank you,
DS
Awesome article TJ
Is this Heaven? No, its IOWA!
Without vendors in unincorporated areas, towns will become more congested and lines for food and beverages will be even longer. That’s crazy. Besides, I hate bad beer and look forward to the Iowa Craft Beer Tent between towns as desirable breaks for this septuagenarian.
I do not want to see unincorporated vendors stopped. We met up with people in these areas and then headed into town. There is PLENTY of business for everyone and sometimes I was so tired I didn’t want to wait in line for 45 minutes to get lunch. The more vendors available over more area the better for everyone! If you try and cram all the people and vendors into town only it will be a mess. Spread out is better !!
I’m very much in favor of those who make the ride a success to benefit from the profits. It only seems fair. However, there are many properties along the route who put up with with the inconvenience of the ride and I could see someone with a large awesome property welcoming riders to benefit as well. However, nothing is more aggravating than roadside vendors on the road right-of-way and causing congestion on the road. I recall several years ago a popular vendor trying to get set up in a town and the town was not friendly for fear they would take away too much business from the smaller town vendors (that was the claim made by the vendor). I make this statement trying to be neutral. I do stop in EVERY town. I stop at a few (not too many) road side vendors. One stop that is more popular with me is the Iowa Craft Beer tent. I wonder how friendly a town would be to allowing a tent like that inside town to compete with their Bud Light tent. I realize the beer selection would attract a different crowd but making it difficult for the competition may increase sales to the other. Also, I’d rather enjoy a beer sitting in the grass under a shade tree than on a curb in the sun. I do have the same concern others have expressed of driving more people into an already crowded town to wait in longer lines. I’m not sure what the proper solution should be, possibly more restrictions to roadside vendors but not elimination? I trust that whatever decision is made will be a good one; I doubt there is a perfect solution.
Issue needed to be explained and you were right with explaination!!!
Why does it say there are 22 comments when there appear to be only 2 (before this one). Did a bunch get deleted by the poster or by Admin?
Bruce, most likely comments are being moderated, and inflammatory/abusive comments are not being approved.
I have never ridden in this ride before, and i am planni g to hopefully make it out there this year for the first time. Good luck TJ, sounds like you are working hard to make this ride awesome.
As a member of my pass-through town committee, I was surprised by the number of local residents that believed vendor fees were there to make RAGBRAI money. It’s enormously expensive for small towns to offer up a great experience to these visitors, and it’s those very experiences that make this ride so much fun for everyone taking part. That being said, as a rider there have been times when those country vendors were just as essential as the city ones. I hope balance can be struck and the ride continues to be what it has always been intended to be, a great time enjoying bicycling in Iowa with “a few” friends made a long the way.
Last year was my first ride and after reading TJ’s note, I can’t believe how naive I was in my experience. I believed that every vendor was either local or uniquely Iowa, that every vendor operating in a town or along the route had to follow established guidelines, that every vendor paid an appropriate fee (unless exempted, e.g. lemonade stand), that the towns and Ragbrai knew who was vending (including their locations) before that days ride began, and that the towns and route would be patrolled to shutdown anyone that wasn’t pre-approved. But now that I think about it, I saw some ridiculous “lemonade stands” and some dangerous setups on the county road right-of-way (including one of my favorites stops, the Medicine Man), so there’s a need to apply a standard that can work to improve safety and level the playing field. Could we begin with a lessons-learned document that establishes rules of the road for vendors (including vendor fees as a percentage of total sales, unless exempted by the town or county) and assign personnel to approve vendor setups during route inspection? Can we supply “Ragbrai-approved” flags to route vendors (assuming the towns police their own) so riders can patronize the vendors who abide by the rules? Can we supply “taste of Iowa” to help support local vendors? Can we offer discounted fees to vendors willing to set up in isolated areas of the route? I bet someone out there has a good reason not to do any of the above suggestions, and that’s okay because there are folks that know the unintended consequences. That said, let’s get the conversation going, get something in place (even if it’s only safety requirements) to get the ball rolling, and then use each year’s experience to refine and adjust before “unbridled capitalism” destroys this great American experience.
Thanks TJ. I hope all the people and vendors working hard for us know that we appreciate them and the great time they provide for us. Well, 99.99% of us do at any rate. Typically where my personal preferences end, fun new experiences begin.
Thoughtful approach @Rich. I thought in particular the idea of “RAGBRAI approved” flags could work well. There would probably have to be different ones for each day if they were going to be tied to paying a local fee for that day’s setup.
Hmmm. When people ask me about RAGBRAI I always tell them RAGBRAI is what you want to make it. Its essential to RAGBRAI to be that way. I for one enjoy the rural stops and having a relaxing snack on someones lawn or farm along the way. That is what makes RAGBRAI enjoyable to “me”.
I’m not a crowd person. The towns along the way are already way too crowded. This new setup will only make it worse. Sigh. This is wrong. If money needs to be collected from small vendors along the way then figure it out and let them be there. The system has evolved on its own and satisfies the needs of the riders.. Please don’t take this RAGBRAI feature away.
Regards
Larry C
I went on my 1st Ragbrai last year and enjoyed every minute of it. I am quite naive about all the logistics of what it takes to put on something of this size. I love the idea that all approved vendor need to have flags stating they are approved and following all the rules.
Nice, well-reasoned explanation, TJ. Thanks.
Thanks for the explanation, TJ. I agree RAGBRAI’s unique charm is discovering small towns and enjoying the hospitality of local Iowans. Rich’s idea about RAGBRAI approved vendor and Taste of Iowa flags (given to local vendors only) is something to consider. I have always nicknamed the ride “Eat pie across Iowa” and explain the culture to others by stating, “If a farmer puts out a table and a chair on his front property, stop for some water or a cookie. If he/she puts out two chairs, plan on chatting for awhile.” It’s appropriate that vendor fees are necessary for each location’s support services, while the proceeds should go to the vendors to hopefully realize a profit. Losing the support of small host towns would be the end of this great ride.
Well said. It’s unfortunate that people can not sit back and think logically without letting their emotions get in the way. But I’m glad you explained it. Hopefully people will better understand the logistics and quit making assumptions. Shame on those who are using abusive language, making threats, etc to those committee members in any town/county.
Well stated TJ. Having ridden in several states I think there are many reasons Ragbrai continues to be the biggest and best ride of it’s kind in the world.
Even the best won’t please everyone all the time but the Ragbrai staff does an excellent job of managing to provide an enjoyable and safe experience. Ragbrai is one of the reasons to be proud to be from Iowa.
Even the person that doesn’t like crowds can go early or late in the day.
Keep up the great work, see you in July!!
If I were RAGBRAI I would definitely not get in the practice of all proving vendors. This would open up RAGBRAI to several types of lawsuits, not only from vendors who did not get approved, but also anyone who has a bad experience or some sort of injury at a vendor. It would also require hiring people and creating a bureaucracy just to do that, raising costs, and likely rider fees.
Thank you, TJ, for the clarification. As a first timer coming to ride in Iowa from “a far piece”, I admit a lot of naivete on how logistics need to work for this enormous event. Based on what I’ve read, heard, and seen, I am expecting to encounter a LOT of friendly locals, and I hope to enjoy lots of locally sourced food and drink. I would be genuinely disappointed to learn that I had inadvertently deprived a local organization or individual of an opportunity to generate funds for a worthy cause, or missed an chance to interact with a friendly native.
I completely endorse your vision for RAGBRAI and will support you in pursuing it, as I hope to return many times to enjoy Iowa on my bicycle.
Cheers – Bob
My first ride was last year and it was awesome. Can’t wait for this year. I appreciate the organizers, the town services, the law enforcement that protect us on the road, the hospitality of those that put us up for the night – I could go on and on. But my naivety lasted 2 days when I overheard one of the vendors at a farm say he lives and his company was from North Carolina. He also stated he travellled all along the Midwest to all kinds of events. When I learned that info that was the last day I stopped there. I am with a prior poster that had the great idea for RAGBRAI to issue approval signs. Maybe A published list of approved rural vendors would be good. But back to my first points – the ride is awesome and I appreciate all the effort to put it on!
PLEASE post in a BLACK font, the gray is tough to read. Great comments. Looking forward to my 1st ride.
Come up with an official flag and I will focus on using those official vendors over the pirates, Arrrrrr! But, I’m gonna be getting me some pie by hook or crook.
TJ Thanks for your service as Director. As a former Zoning Enforcemnt Planner I know the feeling that someone is always unhappy with your decisions. Endorsing safe set-ups, food safety inspections, and paying a vendor fee is reasonable . Hopefully the County people can work out the standards for rural set-ups and serve the riders of RAGBRAI as they bike along , without hurting the towns. Best of luck and also this is my st ride.
As this will be my 2nd RAGBRAI experience and my 1st ride of more than 1 day I’m paying very close attention to these articles that are being sent. I WILL pay close attention to what I buy and who I buy from. I love to keep it local AND I hope RAGBRAI continues for many years. Because one year soon I will ride the entire week. It’s a bucket list thing ya know! Good Luck! Be safe everyone!
I didn’t even know this controversy was a thing until I read this post, but I will say this. I haul my behind all the way from San Francisco to ride RAGBRAI. I describe it to my friends as Iowa’s charity ride, but I really feel the charity is being extended to me. I know it creates some inconvenience shutting down the middle of town for a day and putting up with not being able to get equipment across the road. But the people of the town are there with food and drink and sometimes even a place to hang out before climbing back on the bike. With the exception of some special vendors (Hello Farm Kids! Hi there, Mr Pork Chop!) I buy my meals and drinks in town and will continue to do so. The combination of personal enjoyment, rider camaraderie and the friendliness of the people in the towns is more than a bucket list item. It’s an annual affirmation that there is some good in this world worth making the trip every year.And yes, I did channel a little Sam Gamgee because Middle Earth and Middle America are both special places.
“We have had a few towns that say they lose money by hosting RAGBRAI as out of town or out of state vendors set up right outside of town and took a good chunk of business and went back to their home and did not help their local economy one bit. These towns are skeptical to agree to host RAGBRAI in the future if this practice continues.”
My first RAGBRAI was in 1978. I’ve been seeing this happening since at least 1990, and it’s only gotten worse.
Hear, hear!
Thank you, TJ!
Well, it was a great RAGBRAI as always – but, revisiting this topic, did anyone think that first day of no vendors for much of the day (or at least the first part) worked out well? I didn’t. The lines in Turin were insanely long, so I went right through. Soldier? After waiting a long time just for coffee, I didn’t want to stand in the sun to get breakfast, since ALL those lines were also insanely long.
Now, I’m someone who’ll seek out local vendors. VA, Knights of Columbus, prom committees, you name it. I have tchochkes galore because I buy stuff from people raising funds, and I’ll buy homemade baked goods that I’ll later pass along because I only bought them to essentially donate. Heck, I’ll sometimes just give money and say I don’t actually need/want anything, because they’re all good causes. If I’m not sure if a vendor is local, I’ll ask to make sure.
But Sunday I spent less money than usual. I want to spend my day riding, talking to local people, checking things out, NOT waiting in really long lines all day. When I DO buy stuff on the route, that doesn’t mean i spend less in towns. And oddly, the people I spoke to later in the day in other lines, all mentioned how tired and drained they felt, even though it was the shortest riding day. I’m thinking a lack of hydration/nutrition might have had something to do with that.
So, I get the sentiment, but from what I could see, it didn’t work out the way the counties/towns thought it would.