MASON CITY – At its regular meeting this week, the Mason City council pledged support for RAGBRAI events in the community on July 23, 2014 and directed city staff to review requirements of the event to determine any areas that may require modifications to ordinance and regulations.
According to City Hall documents, “a lot of planning” will go into preparations for the overnight stop of thousands of bike riders as hey pass through Mason City. Committees will be formed to handle “all aspects” of what the event entails.
In order for the event to run smoothly, ordinances in the areas of noise control, vendor licenses, tenting in yards and at businesses, street closings, liquor licenses, and other areas.
PLEEEEEASE who can party that hard after riding like that. And get up to do it again. Altho the ride to MC that day is only 30 some miles so we will get there quick and early. This might make some have an extra beer. Then again the next day is quite a bit more miles.
Bottom line, Ragbrai riders are not the party people you think. They will hoot and hollar and they like to dance but they do it with NO alcohol mostly. And usually off to sleep by 9 or 10. Some are hungry late so be prepared.
It’s the excuse for locals to raise hell. They are the ones really partying. Then blame the riders for any occurances in town.
The number ONE biggest thing for a rag rider is FOOD!!!And of course water.
Every place needs to stay OPEN and late!!! Then open as early as 4..especially if it’s HOT. We are starving morning noon and night then late night then early.
Bikers like to check things out, from town history to funky exciting different things. And what beauty there is to a town. Let’s hope they route them in via west. Another piece of advice, signage! Directions all over to every where good to see!
Camera’s are rolling every minute. Get creative and make them talk about MC long after they are gone from. Make it the cool place it COULD be, at least for that day.
That’s not all that will be tweaked!
I will be riding in the week long trek, taking in the sites, sounds and enjoying this wonderful ride through Iowa. Since MC is my home town I get to listen to fellow riders talk about likes and dislikes of all towns. Should be interesting. Mason City will need lots of people to help so get off your duffs and help volenteer.
Where do you sleep and how do you move camping gear from place to place?
I am sure with all of these fine responses, you are all going to volunteer in some capacity right? Ha ha ha!!
USMC, I am sure Jodee is doing and will do a great job of planning, but she has no bearing on over the top enforcement of local police , sherrif, Highway patrol. These 3 agencys have ruined many, many local events. Just look at Rockwell, they had a great summer event that drew close to 1000 people having a great time, now, do to continued harrassment by all law enforcement, ( I mean way over the top enforcement) not sure if they will have any more events. The town really needed these funds, but over the top enforcement just plane killed them. Very sad.
Yeah, god forbid the police stop drunk drivers, underage drinkers, and prevent dumb drunks from fighting and pissing all over town..I’ve been to many local events and never been bothered by police. It’s called drinking responsibly and being a mature adult. Stop blaming authority for all of your and societies problems.
THUMBS UP!
I want to see maximum busts and property seizures for this event. This is a GREAT opportunity for the police and government to receive maximum cash flow from biker partiers. It’s not just the fines but the court costs and seizures that generate real money. Our laws are very strict for a reason. We want to encourage specific behavior. Going to church is righteous and good. Partying and having fun is not.
This is a great opportunity to extract maximum revenue and the police would be fools not to except that challenge. Hell, they should make up charges if the have too. This bikers will simply pay up so they won’t have to come back to town.
You know I’m right and the government is behind me. Let’s collect cash from party bikers!
I would much rather have a bunch of bike riders staying in tents, listening to music and spending money than a bunch of meth heads and pot heads running all over town.
Yep, you’d rather have people partying and drinking instead of smoking pot. Big surprise there…..not.
You are a joke. Drinking and partying are legal. You are not. You are just like your buddy, a town clown.
Go over to the lake on Thursday NITE live during the summer and see how much fun Mason City could have if our towns people would let us do this every FRIDAY NITE. We need more FUN IN GOOD OLE RIVER CITY “SEMPER FI”
Hate to bust your bubble because I sense that you mean well, but Clear Lake’s Thursday Nite Live events are quite boring actually. The whole thing is done by 9pm. Closing off a street, setting up some stands, and playing some music does not make an automatically cool atmosphere. IT takes Quality of Content…and I’ve yet to trust any of the selections being touted as entertainment around here. It’s just phony really. You have all this abuse and repression going on, and then you pretend to have a party. I’m not buying it, and neither are any of the real folks out there with discriminating tastes, and intelligent minds.
I will have to agree with Phil on this one. Thursdays over at CL is a joke. That is no party.
The laws will not be changed just amended for the day or 2 so that this bike ride which has been going on for years can come into our city and have some fun. Its no different than what happens at our BBQ fest we allow people to drink in East Park and over at Clear lake they do it for the 4th of July week so back the F**k off and let Jodee do her job. Everyone has got to get off their high horse and see that Jodee is trying to change our NOSE UP IN THE AIR ATTITUDE.No I don’t know her but I sure as hell will stick up for her as I want some fun brought back into this town. Go God lets have some fun in this city of has beens and jump into the future. “SEMPER FI” WA HOOOOOOO
I see, the laws are not for everyone. Certain people attending certain events are to be treated differently. We have 2 sets of laws, one for them and one for the rest of us. This is Iowa and we don’t have fun here. Fun is always met with a fine and should include an order to go to church and join the marines. Semper Fi!
Why should we change the laws? These laws take money of citizens pockets and put it into government coffers. Government has a need for that money. Plus if any party bikers have any weed, police get to seize their assets and keep a portion of that money. Some of these bikes will bring a pretty penny at auction. Laws are laws and they are OUR LAWS!
Just look at all the fine money we can generate?! It’s gets me all excited to see so much money being generated by all the tickets to be written. If these party bikers like freedom so damn much they can move to one of the weed states. We are not like that in Iowa. We go to church and obey all laws and the more laws the better. We need them to keep us in line just like we need the church to keep us in line.
If those liberal party bikers want to have fun and hoot and holler till the wee hours they can just move to Colorado with the rest of the hippies. WE HAVE OUR LAWS! And those laws put money into government hands. You hippies just want to take away fine money and let party bikers keep it!
If those liberal party bikers want to have fun and hoot and holler till the wee hours they can just move to Colorado with the rest of the hippies. WE HAVE OUR LAWS! And those laws put money into government hands. You hippies just want to take away fine money and let party bikers keep it!
It’s funny, when you point out things like booze and cigs are far more dangerous then cannabis we see post after post saying, IT’S AGAINST THE LAW!
Now it’s OK to change our laws? They are our laws and we own em.
Oh my God, you can’t change our laws! Laws are laws! We see it here all the time. If they wan’t to have some fun let them to Ragbrai in Colorado! We have our laws.
I do agree with you all on this topic and hopefully Jodee will not let this happen. I have been on this ride before and you have to have police presence or else the goonies will steal everything they see. Ragbrai riders are very nice people and do not cause trouble. They drink,like music and look forward to some food and just like to have fun. When I rode I did all of thee above and maybe just a little extras. PLEASE MASON CITY LETS HAVE SOME FUN WITH THE 1000S OF BIKERS THAT WILL ENVADE OUR TOWN AND LETS NOT LET THE COUNTRY CLUB GROUP RULE. !!! JODEE TAKE CHARGE YOUR DOING A TERRIFFIC JOB!!!! HAVE SOME FUN YOU FUDDY DUDDIES
Robin
A——-
Great
Bike
Ride
Across
Iowa
that is how I think the Mason City part of the
Ride will shape up. Monopoly. Better join the Mason City Country Club if you own a business.
There is a reason Ragbrai has not come back to Mason City for 29 years. Last time bikers were hastled for dinking in public, loud music, etc, while a all time record number of their bikes were stolen.
We will see if a cat can change its stripes! These people bring huge dollars along the way, but they want and deserve to have some fun.
If this turns into just another giant fund raiser for the cops, they will never, ever, be back again.
I really hope Mason City can proove that it is OK to have a LITTLE FUN here!!
Hell, we let people start having just a little fun, the next thing you know, young people might want to move back to this area, instead of fleeing from here the day they get out of school.
Please use some common sense with these people. I want to be the most shocked person in Mason City on the following Thursday morning after a good time had by all.
I think the kids leave before they out of school. Parents flee and taken em along. Just mark this down. The crack fiends will take more bikes than they can ride. It will be like shooting fish in a barrel.