Winston Churchill observed “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
As the dust settles and we are all back to normal life in Webster City, I pause to reflect on RAGBRAI. I am not a long-time citizen of Webster City, but I have lived here more than five years. I am no expert, critic or historian of Webster City, but in my short five years here I have seen a lot. Nothing to date will be as memorable as when Webster City came together to pull off a huge undertaking — RAGBRAI. I am using this article to reflect on my experience of RAGBRAI.
Carrie Fitzgerald, Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce
Six months of planning, 200 portable toilets, 25 vendors in vendor row, Three Dog Night rocked in Webster City, 550 plastic barrels, thousands of feet of snow fence, numerous police officers, more than 150 painted bicycles hung, and the greatest thing: volunteers who dedicated countless hours of the time, talent and their energy to make RAGBRAI 2012 – Webster City Overnight stop unforgettable.
We were a city that appreciated the thousands of guests, opened our homes, greeted the tired riders, served numerous meals, provided a cold drink, entertained our new friends and provided them a safe journey to their campsite and a safe night of fun with Three Dog Night. The city was buzzing with excitement, and it showed to the riders.
We have received numerous letters, stories, emails, postcards, etc. from the riders of RAGBRAI letting us know they truly appreciated what Webster City did for them. I have heard countless stories of Webster City citizens having a great time volunteering, assisting RAGBRAI riders, and positivity about how wonderful RAGBRAI was for our community.
To all of the citizens in Webster City who lent a hand, volunteered their home or their yard, who worked countless hours for no pay, we just want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Webster City, you showed off what makes this city a great one; the people like you. Thank you for your dedication, your patience and your assistance in making this event unforgettable.
Thank you.
