Ames RAGBRAI: Showcasing Our Community to the World

On July 24 we will welcome over 20,000 visitors from around the world to our community, and we need you to help ensure their Ames RAGBRAI experience is unforgettable!

There are many ways you can get involved and make sure our RAGBRAI© guests experience the hospitality Ames is known for.

Volunteer. More than 1,000 volunteers are needed to make this an unforgettable experience. Volunteers can help manage campgrounds, greet riders at the Cyclone Welcome Rally, guide riders along the route, take tickets at the downtown Ames entertainment area, and more. Ames RAGBRAI has many family-friendly ways to get involved, so whether you want to make it a family event, volunteer with friends or co-workers, or a night out with your spouse-there is a way for everyone to be involved.   

Host a rider (or twenty!). Many riders have applied for accommodations at private homes, and organizers are currently looking for overnight hosts. Housing requests range from individuals hoping to find a bed and air conditioning for a night, to families looking to stay with other families, to teams of 20+ looking to camp in someone’s back yard. Visit AmesRAGBRAI.com to fill out a housing form. Organizers will then match appropriate rider(s) to your specifications.

Join the fun. On Tuesday evening all residents are invited to downtown Ames where a Storm is Brewing. Ames RAGBRAI and Ames Main Street have partnered to host a unique all-ages, public entertainment area featuring vendors, food trucks and booths, and three entertainment stages. The Spazmatics are the ultimate “New Wave” 80’s show and the B2wins explore pop music and the top 40 elements while injecting heavy use of signature instrumentation such as electric violin and ukulele for an organic sound. The diverse entertainment lineup also includes local country music favorite Danny Grause and classic rock band Richard Arndt and The Brew. A third stage will showcase a variety of unique performances featuring jugglers, stilt walkers and fire breathers.

Plan ahead. Having up to 20,000 one-day visitors will require special transportation and routes for cyclists arriving and departing our great community. Stay up-to-date on street closures so you can help keep our cyclists safe, as well as yourself, as you travel around Ames on July 24 and 25. Visit AmesRAGBRAI.com for more information and maps. 

The Ames Chamber of Commerce is proud to be a financial supporter of Ames RAGBRAI and are privileged to have staff as part of the planning committee for a multitude of reasons. One of those reasons is that anyone could ride into Ames on July 24 – an entrepreneur looking for the next place to start a business, a young professional looking for their next job, or an individual looking for a cool place to retire. Whatever our visitors are looking for, we want people to see Ames like we see it: a vibrant community rich in opportunities for everyone.
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Join me, the team from the Ames Chamber of Commerce, and numerous people already signed on to volunteer on July 24. It promises to be a spectacular day to showcase Ames to thousands of people from around the world.