On Thursday, July 26, nearly 15,000 bicyclists will enter Cedar Rapids to take part in the Cedar Rapids RAGBRAI festivities throughout the city. The headliner event, the Party on the Island and the 40th RAGBRAI celebration featuring the Counting Crows, will take place downtown on Thursday night from 4:30 to 11:30 p.m. on two stages. The TikiTorch Stage, located at the First Street and Second Avenue SE intersection, will feature local performers Adobanga, Chad Elliott and Bonita Crowe. The Island Stage, located on First Street in front of the Alliant Energy building, will feature Counting Crows and opening acts We Are Augustines, Kasey Anderson and the Honkeys and Field Report. The Second and Third Avenue bridges will be blocked off and filled with vendors and beverage gardens. Various foods will be sold including pulled pork sandwiches, shish kabob and caramel apple nachos. Tickets to this event can be purchased at www.theatrecr.org/RAGBRAI.
Several other events will take place downtown on July 26. Families are invited to bring their children to Rockwell Collins Outplay Island Kids Zone located at Greene Square Park from 2 to 7 p.m. to enjoy free family focused games and entertainment such as face painting, musical entertainment and inflatables. Children may also enjoy the General Mills Kids Cove Bike Safety event at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission for this event is also free.
Special entertainment will also take place at the various RAGBRAI campsites throughout the city. At the Orange Tribe campground at Ellis Park, attendees can enjoy food vendors, live music, aqua golf and a show by the Five Seasons Ski Team at 7 p.m. Chicken legs, BBQ nachos, Gatorade and several other foods and drinks will be available at the camp from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Local musical performers will hit the stage from 2 to 6 p.m. featuring DJ Jam Time, Jeffrey Capps and FunkStop. The Blue Tribe campground at Veterans Memorial Stadium will feature ballpark and ice arena concessions throughout the day, live broadcasts of baseball games, inflatables and will conclude with a showing of Field of Dreams at 6:30 p.m. The Green Tribe campground at Cherry Hill Park will feature a performance by local Czech band Czech Plus at 6 p.m.
The event will come to a close on Friday morning with Breakfast on the Bridge in the Czech Village/New Bohemia area. This special farewell breakfast will allow riders to experience the rich heritage and culture of the area and to leave Cedar Rapids with full stomachs. Several vendors will be set up along the 16th Avenue bridge serving food and drinks such as traditional Czech kolaches, breakfast burritos, coffee cake, orange juice and more. Riders will also be able to enjoy various entertainment opportunities such as live entertainment by the Iowa Accordion Club, Craig Erickson, Natalie Brown and Roving Accordionist Ron Johnson. The National Czech and Slovak Museum and CSPS will be open for tours as well as the nearby African American Museum which will also feature live jazz performances.
Residents and riders alike are invited to take part in the events on and to enjoy the Cedar Rapids RAGBRAI experience on July 26 and 27.