Clear Lake RAGBRAI group unveils logo; T-shirts for sale

RAGBRAI T-shirts are now on sale at the Clear Lake Chamber Office.  The shirt design, which also serves as the logo for RAGBRAI in Clear Lake, was designed by local artist Jacky Garlock.  The shirts, which are sold for $20, are made locally at Theiss Shirts.   

“When the official RAGBRAI logo was announced, it used a paddle-wheel boat in the logo,” explained Clear Lake RAGBRAI Committee General Chairman Diane Thompson.  “Jacky immediately realized that Clear Lake’s RAGBRAI logo should repeat the paddle-wheel boat since Clear Lake is the only town on the ride which has a boat like this.  It’s a great design.”   

T-shirts are a major source of income for the Clear Lake RAGBRAI Steering Committee.   Beginning in 2010, the Clear Lake RAGBRAI Steering Committee’s goal has always been to break even financially.

“Many towns spend a lot of time raising funds in order to pay for the expenses involved with bringing this event to Clear Lake, but this committee would rather earn it’s own funding and engage the community in volunteering,” Thompson said. “We welcome monetary gifts, donations, and sponsorships from individuals, businesses and organizations because they make our fund raising efforts easier, but we do not want to depend on those gifts in order to get our work done.”   

The exception is the area of entertainment, which will take place in the Bandshell in City Park during the evening and at other downtown venues in the afternoon.  If individuals, businesses, or organizations are interested in sponsoring entertainment on July 25, they should contact Shane Cooney or Laurie Lietz, Entertainment chairmen; Gary Peterson, Steering Committee treasurer; or Thompson, general chairman at [email protected] or 357-3015.

RAGBRAI entertainment  will be announced later.

Community involvement is vital to a successful RAGBRAI overnight experience.   Two ways in which area residents get involved are by being a volunteer and being a host to riders.   

“Even though it is still early, we have started taking names of local residents who are interested in keeping guests in their homes, on their yards, or on other property,” said Jane Humphrey, Steering Committee Housing chairman.   Hosts will be asked for information concerning number of guests preferred, spaces offered (bedrooms or floors for sleeping), handicap accessibility, outside accessibility to water, and other things.  “Riders will begin making overnight requests in May, so we want to coordinate riders and hosts as early as possible,” added Humphrey.  Hosting offers can be shared with Humphrey by calling 357-1136 or by emailing [email protected].  Host forms will soon be available on our website www.clearlakeragbrai.com.

Anyone interested in volunteering for RAGBRAI in Clear Lake can contact Jane Lobdell, RAGBRAI Volunteer chair at 357-2676 or [email protected] with their name, phone number, and email address.

“We are not ready to assign volunteer tasks at this time, but we encourage anyone interested in getting involved to let us know as soon as possible so I can be ready when the Steering Committee chairmen decide what volunteers they will need,” Lobdell stated.   “We need over 1,000 volunteers in order to make RAGBRAI successful, so the earlier we get started, the better.”   Volunteers are needed for tasks from now till July 25-26 for clean-up.

Fourteen members of the Clear Lake RAGBRAI Steering Committee attended an orientation for Host (overnight) Towns in Des Moines on March 9.  Towns attending were Orange City, Spencer, Algona, Clear Lake, Charles City, Cresco, Waukon, and Lansing.  Steering Committee members who attended were:  Diane Thompson; Chyrl Bergvig, vendors; Hunter Callanan, publicity/hospitality; Shane Cooney, entertainment; Brad Emerson, communications; Jane Humphrey, housing; Steve Humphrey, transportation; Laurie Lietz, entertainment; Laura Meyer, website; Wendy Niccum, information centers; Libbey Patton, social media and Chamber representative; Pete Roth, law enforcement; Kirby Schmidt, campgrounds, and Tim Coffey, Advisory Committee.

“To keep informed about RAGBRAI in Clear Lake on July 25, visit our website, clearlakeragbrai.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram,” suggested Social Media Chairman Libbey Patton.