Marshalltown RAGBRAI

Residents
Information

We are looking for ready, willing and able volunteers to help with RAGBRAI®. Click HERE to fill out the volunteer form and return it to the Marshalltown Convention and Visitors Bureau at:

Beverage Committee:
Beverage Gardens have been a good source of income for some communities, but with them come moral and legal obligations. It is important you adhere to all local, state and federal laws pertaining to dispensing and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Above all else, if you cannot control it, don't do it.

In recruiting volunteers, have it understood up front that a commitment to work in the Beverage Garden will obligate the volunteer to abstinence PRIOR TO AND DURING DUTY. The volunteers working in the Beverage Garden need to watch for signs of excessive alcohol consumption and refuse to serve anyone in this condition. This committee will schedule mandatory training sessions for the volunteers so they can be taught to recognize the signs of excessive consumption Volunteers will not be able to do this if they themselves have been drinking. The liability this creates for Marshalltown and for RAGBRAI® cannot be ignored.

Host communities have had from 50 to 150 volunteers working at their Beverage Gardens. (The number does NOT include the law enforcement officers.)

Towns recommend dividing the responsibilities among six Team Captains who solve problems and guide the volunteers. Captains will work 4 - 6 hour shifts during the crunch time.

The six Team Captains should be: 1. Set-up crew; 2. Entrance and identification; 3. Ticket-takers/servers; 4. Tapper workers who pour; 5. Ticket sellers; 6. Money transport

How many?
2 people per tapper w/ 12-13 tappers going.
2 @ each entrance
2 @ each entrance to apply hand-stamps if used
4 per ticket sales booth
2 at each entrance to check IDs
2 to attach legal-age wristbands
Several rovers who can assist where needed
3-4 @ each pop trailer
Several to monitor supplies

No one should work longer than 2-hour shifts (except for captains.) The shifts should overlap, especially when you first open, to orient new workers and for higher efficiency. The busy time starts between 8:00-8:30 p.m. and continues through closing.

It is the responsibility of the Beverage Garden Committee to set up the area and make sure it's cleaned up after it closes that evening.

Beverage | Campgrounds | Entertainment | Food Service | Hospitality | Information Center Publicity | Public Safety | Sanitation | Shuttle

Campgrounds Committee:
Volunteers in this committee will work with a uniformed officer on duty at each campground entrance to direct parking, check vehicle passes and help campers find their assigned camping site. The goal of each campground volunteer will be to assure a safe, secure, and pleasant lodging experience in our designated camping areas.

Beverage | Campgrounds | Entertainment | Food Service | Hospitality | Information Center Publicity | Public Safety | Sanitation | Shuttle

Entertainment Committee:
This committee plans and coordinates all entertainment during the RAGBRAI® visit, whether it be rider-involvement basketball games, Karaoke, bands, sing-alongs or bicycle races. A variety of entertainment is good so that riders have a choice. This is an opportunity for volunteers to use creativity within the community and to promote our communities theme.

Beverage | Campgrounds | Entertainment | Food Service | Hospitality | Information Center Publicity | Public Safety | Sanitation | Shuttle

Food Service Committee:
Volunteers on this committee must know the rules and regulations established for safe preparation, service and storage, disposal of the approximately 10,000 meals that will be served in our community as RAGBRAI® participants come through Marshalltown. Communication with the Iowa Dept. of Inspection and Appeals at the outset and throughout the planning and execution of RAGBRAI® festivities is necessary. Plan on arranging for official inspections by this state and/or county agencies.

It is desirable to include a number of community members with food service experience from a wide range of applications. This committee acts as the clearinghouse for churches, civic groups, fraternal organizations and local establishments that want to serve food free or for profit. This committee assures that all food vendors have met the 10 requirements established for permission to sell food (e.g. vendor fees paid, temporary sales tax permit documented, inspection by county extension has occurred, electrical needs are safely met, etc. (see pg. 109-10 in Handbook.))

Hours of service have varied from community to community, but most churches and other vendors report that they start serving around 4:30 p.m. and are usually sold out by 8:30 p.m. Local restaurants have reported that they were deluged with ustomers around 5 p.m., it died down around 6-6:30 p.m., then got busy around 7:00 p.m. and people were still eating at 11 p.m. It is advised that several vendors should remain open until at least 10 p.m.

Members of this committee with work closely with the Non-Food Vendor Committee in locating vendors. They will also coordinate work with the Entertainment Committee, Beverage Garden Committee, Electrical and Sanitation Committees.

Hospitality:
The great Iowa hospitality is the one thing that all riders remember and comment on in their surveys. This committee is the "heart" of the event - the cheerleaders for our town. Their efforts make the difference between an average event and a memorable one.

Broad areas of responsibility include the following:
1. Stimulating community spirit and selling T-shirts.
2. Community beautification prior to the ride.
3. Decorations for the day of the ride.
4. Ambassadors to Welcome, provide Information, and Farewell.

Volunteers for this committee will probably not be stationed within the "official Information Centers, rather they probably will be situated throughout the active areas in our town during the RAGBRAI® visit. TRAINING on use of the Information Center Handbook and RAGBRAI® resources during the event will probably be required for some of these volunteers.

Beverage | Campgrounds | Entertainment | Food Service | Hospitality | Information Center Publicity | Public Safety | Sanitation | Shuttle

Information Center:
This Center is the place to go to find out anything a rider needs to know about the town, the services available in the town, or just to get help. They are usually located in the "hub" of a host community during RAGBRAI®. Many visitors look for the Information Center before doing anything else when they arrive in a town.

Each community should have one main Info. Center in the main tent campground and possibly one or two satellite centers that can be moved to where the people are (which will vary depending on the time of the day!) Each center will have plenty of community handbooks and maps to provide to RAGBRAI® participants. Message centers for riders will be maintained by the Center volunteers. The center will also serve as the command post for all communication in our town.

While the Information Center Handbook will be the core of our Center, the success of this site will depend on how well the volunteers are trained beforehand. The volunteers for the Information Center Committee may be involved in producing the Information Center Handbook and in training other volunteers (e.g. Hospitality workers) on its use.

Several shifts of workers at the various Information Centers will be required.

This committee selects the theme and logo for our community RAGBRAI® experience. The Marketing/Media division keeps the needs and achievements and plans of the RAGBRAI® organization in the public eye continuously. The Speakers Bureau makes certain that groups who need to be informed are informed about the opportunities RAGBRAI® presents to our community and how those organizations can help. The Signage division coordinates the design, the messages, the materials, and the placement of signs to assure that they meet the mission of RAGBRAI® within our community. They work with the Public Safety Committee to assure make enough signs to guide support vehicles on their designated route through town. The Map division maintains a weekly update of a community that depicts the location of the RAGBRAI® events, services, Information Centers, etc. throughout RAGBRAI® planning and execution.

Beverage | Campgrounds | Entertainment | Food Service | Hospitality | Information Center Publicity | Public Safety | Sanitation | Shuttle

Public Safety:
The number one priority of RAGBRAI® is the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle drivers. The number one goal is that you must keep traffic moving at all times. Volunteers on this committee will work closely with the RIDE RIGHT Committee, the Medical Committee, and the Law Enforcement Committee in addressing all safety issues, whether it be on the streets or in the campgrounds. Public Safety volunteers may be called upon to assist law enforcement in directing traffic and other matters. Volunteers for this committee will also work closely with the Map division of the Publicity Committee in developing and publishing maps showing alternate routes for local residents to use that are away from the bicycle route and the support vehicle route. This committee has responsibility for placing and removing the support vehicle route signs through our towns.

Beverage | Campgrounds | Entertainment | Food Service | Hospitality | Information Center Publicity | Public Safety | Sanitation | Shuttle

Shuttle Service:
The purpose of providing shuttles is to get people where they want to go as quickly as possible. The last thing most riders want to do once arriving in town is to get back on their bikes to locate showers, food, entertainment, and the host of other services riders will need. Safety concerns become paramount for cyclists after the sun goes down. Hence, a means of public convenience is established to facilitate safe RAGBRAI® participant commuting within our town. Transit buses, school buses, and vans have all been used in various communities for shuttles. The number of shuttles established should assure that no rider must wait more than 30 minutes to gain transport on a shuttle.

Volunteers will serve such functions as taking fees (if fees are charged), stamping hands, and actually driving. Most shuttles have a volunteer from the Hospitality Committee to act as host and a source of information so that the driver is freed to concentrate exclusively on safe driving and his/her route.

Some training, especially for drivers, will probably be required before RAGBRAI® before volunteers perform their duties.

Rider
Information

Created By: Eric Boone