On March 4th the Jefferson RAGBRAI Executive Committee hosted a public meeting to provide basic information on the RAGBRAI visit scheduled for Monday, July 21 in Jefferson. The questions below are questions posed to the committee by community members.

1. Are you really only having 1 beverage garden?
Yes- 20,000 won’t all go to the beverage garden. The garden will be larger than it is at the Bell Tower Festival. It will be easier to for security and volunteers if there is only one beverage garden, which is standard for communities.

2. Is there a chance for other Greene County towns to advertise?
Yes- Through the official Jefferson RAGBRAI Tabloid. We will be distributing these in Harlan the day before the riders come here, as well as at our own Information Center. We also encourage good fun signage being done by individual groups. And we will also offer advertising options on the RAGBRAIJefferson.com website.

3. Is there an advantage to having a “wireless” internet station for the riders since their cell phones might not work?
Yes, Jefferson is proud of the service our local telephone company provides and our communications committee is working diligently with all carriers to assure reliable communication. Also the Iowa Telecom trailer will be in town and will provide Wi-Fi in the area near their trailer. Inside the trailer will be laptops with internet connectivity for those that do not have their pc with them. Most likely there will be local businesses providing free internet access for the riders as well.

4. Will there be deadlines for vendors/fees/etc.?
Yes. We don’t have these set yet. But we will have a local vendor fee deadline first to access how much our local organizations can handle for us – before we start accepting outside vendors. When determined, these will be publicized in the paper, on the radio, the website and on cable.

5. Will there be guidelines for vendors and fees?
Yes. We’ll work with all vendors to coordinate and help with menus, sales, pricing, etc. Food vendors will be required to attend a food safety course put on by the Extension office, and can expect to be inspected.
Additionally, official vendors will get:
An “Official RAGBRAI Vendor” poster
A listing in the official Jefferson Tabloid
Assistance from Food and non-food Vendor committees
Be a stop on the shuttle route – bringing potential customers to your door.

6. If you are a vendor on the square and you want more room, will you have to pay more?
Yes. This fee has not been determined.

7. Will there be vendor fees in the other Greene County towns where the riders will be passing through?
The Jefferson Committee will not have control over this, but most likely yes. Officials from RAGBRAI will be meeting with the pass through towns and will give them guidance, like they do for the overnight towns. The Jefferson RAGBRAI committee is committed to helping these communities with suggestions and ideas.

8. Will there be links on jeffersonragbrai.com for these other Greene County Communities?
Yes – we can make this happen.

9. How do host families work?
You can go to the JeffersonRAGBRAI.com website & complete and submit a “Host Rider Form” identifying your interest and preferences in hosting riders. May 1, 2008 is the day when riders are identified as being officially registered for the ride, and our housing committee will then start receiving housing requests from riders and teams. The plan is to have these letters posted around the community for folks to read and choose who they might like to host.

For those who have already committed to hosting riders, the housing committee encourages you to check after May 1st to see if they are registered riders by requesting the names and registration numbers of everyone in their group. This will allow the housing committee to have a master list of all those host families and riders – which could be used in helping riders find where they are staying when they arrive in town, as well as in case of an emergency.

10. Are there guidelines for how many people are able to stay in a house?
A LOT can stay in a host home. They’ll sleep on the floor, on the porch, in the yard, where ever you chooses to give them space.

11. Is there a way to know if a rider is registered – for a week, a day?
The registered riders will wear a wristband. There are different colors for weekly riders and daily riders. Non-registered riders will have to be taken care of, but we will ask vendors to charge more for food and services they might need.

12. How do you deal with bandit vendors?
We will be seeking special one day county and city ordinances to help alleviate some of these problems. State food inspectors will also be checking licenses and facilities.

13. How do you factor support crew with riders?
RAGBRAI estimates that there are 3,000 to 4,000 support people along on the ride.

14. Do support people have wristbands?
Yes. They are a different color from the riders. And support vehicles have a vehicle pass.

15. Do larger groups ask to stay together in churches or large areas?
Yes – the campground and housing committees will work to find places to meet the many needs of these larger groups. Those willing to host such groups should let the housing or campground committee know.

16. How will volunteering for the day work?
Most importantly, community members are going to have to multi-task – working different places throughout the day. Individuals, organizations and churches are going to have to be willing to host riders, serve suppers, offer showers, and work at a booth or two throughout the day. Volunteers will be asked to work for more than one place throughout the day and we hope many can make this work. It also makes it a lot of fun for everyone.

17. If someone stops at a farm along the route and asks if they can stop and camp, should you let them?
First, most registered riders will know where they are staying long before the day of the ride. So those looking for a place at that time, could be unregistered riders and when they are looking for a place to stay so late, it could be the start of trouble. The committee encourages hosts to only host registered riders. Also, RAGBRAI works closely with the Iowa State Patrol and they have a policy to move riders into the overnight town before 6 pm, so they are out scouting the route to help eliminate potential trouble in those early evening hours.
The committee does encourage those that live in the country who want to host riders to let the housing committee know and a match will be made. Some riders like to be outside of town and may only require a ride to and from Jefferson.

18. Are host families/houses compensated?
Generally no – riders should be considered guests. Many might offer their host a token gift and they are very appreciative. If special costs are involved in hosting, you’ll want ot coordinate that with the group you are hosting directly.

19. When you host a family – are there specific recommendations for feeding them, etc.
Once the riders know where they are staying, they’ll be in direct contact with you. But generally riders expect no special treatment and are encouraged to join the fun on the square and support the local food vendors. Host families are not required to provide anything but a place to shower and sleep for the most part.

20. Will there be free entertainment or will people have to pay for it?
All entertainment will be free to the riders and the general public. Those with wristbands or those wearing the local RAGBRAI shirt will most likely have reduced prices at food vendors. Everyone is encouraged to enjoy the festivities as well as the entertainment. The beverage garden will be limited to those over 21, but the entertainment will be available for those outside of the beverage garden to enjoy also.

21. What kind of entertainment are you planning?
Most likely there will be two stages – one smaller venue for during the day/early evening. And then the main stage for a headliner band for the main evening entertainment. An opening band or two will play before the headliner band. The entertainment committee is in charge of all types of entertainment and special events.

22. Is entertainment considered a vendor?
Entertainment coordinated with the entertainment committee will be considered entertainment and not considered a vendor. All entertainment will be free to riders and the general public.

23. Are vendor fees for businesses/restaurants that already exist?
A good guideline is that if you do what you want to do on RAGBRAI – in the same location – as your yearly business, you will not need to be a vendor. If you choose to expand outside or to another location with your yearly business, you will be considered a vendor. However, any business can choose to be a vendor and pay the vendor fee to be a part of the vendor inclusions listed in question 5 above.

24. Has RAGBRAI given any estimate of the economic boost an overnight community gets from a RAGBRAI visit?
Yes. In the past, they have estimated that the amount an overnight town can generate in its community is anywhere from $400,000 to $1,000,000. Of course there are a lot of variables, and very little of this money goes to the city hosting the ride. Most of it goes to vendors, retail, restaurant and other services in town. Nearly every retail, restaurant, and service business in town will probably see their best day of the year. Supplies for riders, their support staff and others in town go far beyond food and drink. Needs can include, but are not limited to, groceries, household-like supplies, veterinarian services, gas, bike repairs, vehicle and RV repairs and supplies, etc. Retailers that offer shipping could see folks buying bigger ticket items.

25. Will businesses stay open later than normal and can they be in the Tabloid?
Yes, they can and we would encourage this. The Chamber will work with their members in coordinating hours and needs. AND, yes most definitely businesses should advertise in the official Jefferson Tabloid.

26. What about ice?
We’ll need plenty of ice in town. Any business that sells ice, should stock up. This will be a record breaking day for ice. Most likely the committee will bring in a full size refrigerated truck with ice and disperse it to vendors as needed.

27. What are the chances that the riders will stay longer in Jefferson because it’s such a short trip to Ames?
Most likely not. Riders normally always head out between 6-9 am regardless of the days ride ahead. The BEST thing to do is to have community members line up on the streets on the route out of town and thank the folks for coming.
The committee does plan on capitalizing on the names and addresses we’ll have by sending riders a post-RAGBRAI postcard and inviting them back to Jefferson.