American Legion ordered 400 cases of beer for RAGBRAI

Aug. 1—Despite having a boat load of Busch Light (literally), the veteran volunteers of the RAGBRAI beer garden in Newton did not see high sales.

Jerry Nelson, post commander of the American Legion Post 111, said the beer garden was unfortunately a "complete debacle." In anticipation for the event, the organization paid more than $12,000 for approximately 400 cases of domestic beer. By the end of the cyclists' stay in Newton, only 13 cases of beer were sold.

"Folks weren't drinking at all," Nelson said. "It was bad. Very bad. It was so bad I don't even want to discuss it to be honest."

RAGBRAI celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with an estimated 40,000 riders. Newton was selected as a meeting town for support vehicles for the July 27 route from Des Moines to Tama-Toledo. Organizers set up live music, food trucks and other activities. Several veterans volunteered at the beer garden.

Nelson recalled he and many of the other volunteers looked forward to the event and had been enjoying themselves and their setup. When deciding on the right receptacles to contain the beer, Nelson turned to an old boat he owned. The vessel was packed full of ice and 16-ounce cans of Busch Light.

"We had a great plan and had everything come together," Nelson said. "As the morning went, our expectations were sinking pretty badly. The logistics of loading all of that back up and then hauling back and then unloading it and restocking. It was may more than we typically maintain. It was a big challenge."

Volunteers were worn out. Temperatures as high as 90 degrees with well over 90 percent humidity throughout the day did not make the challenge of moving cases upon cases of beer any easier. Veterans were setting up for the beer garden by 5:30 a.m. the day cyclists would come through. It took two hours just to set up.

Despite the low sales, American Legion Post 111 will survive the loss.

"It's not going to put us in bankruptcy or nothing," he said.