What do Rippey and Luther have planned as RAGBRAI rolls through on July 25?
Snow piles will be nonexistent when RAGBRAI participants roll through Rippey on Day 3 of the 50th ride while Luther prepares to offer mounds of delectable BBQ and entertainment.
The rural towns are two pass-through sites along the 86.1-mile Tuesday, July 25 route. Riders will have a fairly flat trek of 15 miles from Jefferson before entering Rippey.
Rippey is known for its own bike ride, held on the first Saturday of each February since 1978. Cyclists head out from Perry during the Bike Ride to Rippey, no matter the temp.
The last time the RAGBRAI ride rolled through town was in 1980.
Conditions will be decidedly warmer when tens of thousands of RAGBRAI riders and support staff visit Rippey as they leave Carroll and head toward the overnight town of Ames. Rippey is an official meeting town located between the Jefferson and Luther stops.
Riders will head into Rippey on Highway E57, turn south on 1st Street, continue on Main Street and 3rd Street and then head north back to Highway E57.
Mayor Dan Brubaker, who is also leading the Rippey RAGBRAI committee, said several streets will close on July 25. He'd planned for parking at Landus, but recent construction means several support vehicles will park on city streets.
“We’re only four blocks wide so a lot of the streets are going to be closed for parking and things like that,” Brubaker said.
Cyclists can sign their names on a big rock
Around 30 food vendors will set up on Main Street and 3rd Street, serving everything from steak to pizza, slushies and of course, pie. Brubaker said local organizations will also serve food.
The Rippey Lions Club and Rippey Fire Department will offer pork loin sandwiches, chips and a drink, with proceeds supporting local projects, the public library and the fire department. The Rippey United Methodist Church will serve maid-rites, chips and water along with pie and ice cream.
The Rippey Ballpark Commission is sponsoring a beer tent at the pickleball court on 1st Street. The commission will serve a hot dog meal, beer and Rippey baseball apparel, with proceeds supporting Walt Anderson ballpark improvements.
The Iowa Beer Bus will set up near the Main Street food vendors. A pair of local acts, Luke Farland and Jordan Beem, will play live music while beer is served.
The rural Greene County town will be jam-packed with activity next week.
“I have all this small space to squeeze all this into,” Brubaker said of the vendors set up on Main Street and 3rd Street. “I’ve got it mapped out, it’s all going to fit.”
RAGBRAI riders can also sign their name on a giant rock recently placed at the corner of 3rd and Main. Greene County Materials donated the boulder to the Friends of Rippey. The rock will be painted white and Brubaker said Sharpies will be available for riders to sign their names.
He added that committee members have been working since March to prepare for RAGBRAI.
Find more information through the Rippey RAGBRAI L Facebook group. Town activities will end at 3 p.m.
More than 7 tons of barbecue will await RAGBRAI cyclists in Luther
Riders will depart Rippey and head 21.8 miles due east to Luther in Boone County, Tuesday's final pass through town.
Heartland Co-op’s towering grain bins are one of the first things RAGBRAI riders will notice as they pedal into Luther.
With a 1.6 million bushel capacity, the grain bins are significant to the town's landscape as well as the heart of the rural farming community.
The bins are a big reason why they’re featured in the town’s logo.
Anchoring Luther's food scene is Whatcha Smokin’ BBQ and Brew, which opened in 2017 and has made the town synonymous with fresh pit-to-plate craft BBQ.
Although the actual restaurant will be closed for RAGBRAI, Whatcha Smokin’ will have a big presence in town that day.
Owner Gwen Page is planning for 46,000 sandwiches, setting up for the biggest day in the history of the popular business.
The sandwiches will be constructed with 70% pulled pork and 30% brisket. She plans to order 14,000 pounds of meat, significantly more than a typical Saturday order of 200 pounds.
What is Page's strategy for the day?
"Lots of hard work and prayer," she told the Ames Tribune on June 6 as the RAGBRAI pre-ride rolled through town.
More: What will RAGBRAI find in Ames? Read about the pre-ride outcomes
Luther wants to provide a 'wheely good time' to riders
Experts from Kris’ Hot Yoga will offer yoga sessions for cyclists who’d like to stretch after 71 miles of biking in a big corn-lined grassy field near Luther Christian Church from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Des Moines-based Resonate will be on hand for sound baths.
Live music will include James Biehn from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Suede from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Featured food vendors will include pies from ChaCha’s Confections, kolaches from Cajun Belle, Stanhope Jerky Stand, juices smoothies and wheatgrass from Fresh Wheatgrass Girl, Seth’s Flavor of Pickles, and grab-and-go barbecue from Whatcha Smokin' BBQ + Brew.
Locally brewed craft beer will be available from Confluence Brewing Company, Exile Brewing Co. and Boone Valley Brewing Co. Tall boys, cocktails, soda and water will be available.
Luther plans to offer cyclists a “wheely good time” by offering several seating areas, bike parking, shade, restrooms and air conditioning.
Road closures in Luther will include Luther Street from Highway 17 to Fifth Avenue, Clark Street from Highway 17 to First Avenue, First Avenue from Luther Street to E57, and Fifth Avenue from Luther Street to E57.
Luther is 9 miles southwest of Ames, 12 miles from Boone and 1 mile east of the crest of the Des Moines River Valley.
From Luther, cyclists will ride the final 15 miles east from Luther on 270th Street to South Dakota Avenue (R38) and into Ames. They will take Mortensen Road to Jack Trice Stadium, across the new Cyclone pedestrian bridge and north to Brookside Park, the main campground for the evening.
Ronna Faaborg is a reporter for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rlawless@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: What do Rippey and Luther have planned for RAGBRAI 50?
