Why Iowa counties are considering banning rural RAGBRAI vendors

Kevin Hardy | The Des Moines Register

Show Caption Hide Caption See the 2018 RAGBRAI overnight towns See which overnight towns are on the route for RAGBRAI 2018.

A controversy over RAGBRAI vendors has led two Iowa counties to consider rules banning the sale of food and drink along rural stretches of the route — stoking fears that the changes could alter the very nature of the iconic bicycle ride.

On May 1, the Monona County Board of Supervisors, citing safety concerns, approved an ordinance barring special use permits for RAGBRAI vendors in the unincorporated parts of the county. Officials there say they wanted to keep riders from stopping along the western Iowa county's winding country roads.

But another issue has been brewing: Some vendors who pay for the privilege of setting up within city limits have grumbled about operators that set up shop outside of towns, oftentimes at little or no charge. Those businesses can steal away traffic, jeopardizing the profits inside the towns that have spent thousands of dollars and months preparing for the ride.

More: Everything you need to know about RAGBRAI 2018

The issue has elicited name calling and passionate debate online, and some riders have even threatened to boycott the ride.

On Tuesday, supervisors in neighboring Crawford County considered a similar ordinance, but ultimately agreed on a compromise. The moves from Monona and Crawford — the first two counties on the route — have some worried that other counties will follow suit. If that happens, new county regulations could dramatically change the flavor of the statewide ride.

Vendors play a key role in the eclectic moving circus that is the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI is planned and coordinated by the Des Moines Register). From famed Mr. Pork Chop to beer tents to church groups selling homemade pies, vendors pop up in town squares and on farmer's front lawns all along the route.

"You're taking on tradition," said Mike Mott, who owns the Iowa Beer Bus and Mott's Famous Sweet Corn. "Mr. Pork Chop's been there since 1983. That's 35 years. It's an institution."

More: A feast of meat and memories on the first ‘Mr. Pork Chop Day’

Mott generally operates along the bicycle ride's rural stretches near the famed Mr. Pork Chop bus. He said those operating in the wide open country are just as much a part of the RAGBRAI experience as those inside towns.

He thinks some interests in the host communities are leading the charge to regulate or eliminate rural vendors.

"My guess is it's just grapevine," he said. "Whoever's got sour grapes from the past couple years is talking to towns this year."

The city vs. county debate

Mott believes counties want to protect the businesses in towns that host the ride. To accommodate the thousands of riders, towns must invest in policing, portable toilets and trash removal. Charging vendor fees is their primary means of recouping that money and ensuring they can break even on the event. They want to keep their in-town vendors happy, and bustling stops just outside of town can irk those in the city limits.

While they might see restricting rural vendors as a way to protect revenues, Mott worries that the debate underlies a more existential question for RAGBRAI.

"The bigger threat is if, in fact, that keeps happening," he said. "Think about it like this: if the reputation gets out that the overnight towns lose money by hosting RAGBRAI, that kills RAGBRAI."

Rather than implementing an outright ban, Mott would rather see counties charge a fee for rural vendors. It may weed out some smaller operators but would maintain the integrity of the event.

"It may eliminate some vendors," he said. "But the bottom line is if their business model doesn't support a $300-a-day fee, they should probably rethink their business model."

Why RAGBRAI's first county passed a vendor ban

Monona County blames its winding, hilly roads for its ban on out-of-town vendors.

County Auditor Peggy Rolph said the county's up-and-down roads would pose a safety hazard for bicyclists and drivers alike if riders were to pull over for a beer or burger in the county's unincorporated areas.

The county ordinance gives law enforcement officers the authority to "close down and remove any vendors" setting up shop in unincorporated areas.

The longest stretch between towns in Monona County is about 11 miles, between Soldier and Turin, Rolph said.

She said the ordinance will offer no exceptions for any vendors. But most city limits stretch a mile or so beyond the end of town, allowing some space before and after a town, Rolph said.

"They didn't discriminate; they said all vendors," she said. "There is nobody allowed out in the unincorporated areas. It's only within the incorporated areas of the city."

People won't 'go 19 miles without food and drink'

RAGBRAI Executive Director T.J. Juskiewicz told the Register that he believes the counties will ultimately relax their rules.

"I think they’re willing to look at things," he said. "We’re still two months out."

The bicycle tour is set to kick off July 22 near the Missouri River in Onawa, culminating July 28 on the banks of the Mississippi River in Davenport.

RAGBRAI organizers and vendors were able to convince Crawford County supervisors to rethink their proposed rural vendor ban on Tuesday.

More: RAGBRAI route: Passing through these small towns makes it wacky

In a Sunday Facebook post, Juskiewicz said some towns complain of losing money by hosting the event, as outside vendors "took a good chunk of business and went back to their home and did not help their local economy one bit."

"These towns are skeptical to agree to host RAGBRAI in the future if this practice continues," he wrote. "Let’s be honest here. RAGBRAI will not continue to exist without the towns and counties supporting the event."

If counties do implement strict vendor regulations for those outside city limits, RAGBRAI organizers will ensure water is available along the route, Juskiewicz said.

"We’re not going to let people go 19 miles without food and drink," he said.

And RAGBRAI remains committed to protecting church groups selling pie, cattlemen selling steak sandwiches and 4-H kids hawking burgers to fund their trips to the state fair.

"We are for the bands and cheerleaders selling Gatorade and snacks," he said. "This is what built RAGBRAI into the great event that it is."

'That's why we have public hearings'

A majority of Crawford County's five supervisors were prepared to follow Monona County's lead, but were ultimately persuaded against the idea during a hearing Tuesday.

"That's why we have public hearings, I guess," said supervisor Kyle Schultz. "There was overwhelming support to allow vendors."

Supervisors initially were worried about "picking winners and losers" by selecting appropriate vendor sites outside of towns, Schultz said. And they wanted to protect organizations and businesses in towns like Ute and Charter Oak.

"We didn't want to take away from the pass-through communities," Schultz said. "I think it's important that they reap the benefits out of this as much as they can."

But vendors and representatives from the towns argued against the supervisors' proposed ban.

"I was kind of shocked. There was no one there today to voice favor of the no-vendor ordinance," Schultz said. "That's what I was feeling the public wanted. I'm glad we had the meeting today and was able to hear otherwise."

Instead, Crawford County will likely implement a permitting process for rural vendors, charging them a fee. RAGBRAI organizers anticipate more counties will take similar action, rather than banning out-of-town vendors altogether.

"I do think more counties will have an ordinance in place," Juskiewicz said. "They want to know where those vendors are and make sure they're inspected and make sure they collect those fees."

The Iowa Craft Beer Tent sets up two spots on rural spans of the RAGBRAI route each day, selling local beers and bratwursts.

Managing partner Steve Linn said there's plenty of business to go around for all vendors, whether they're in town or not. And he doesn't think his business jeopardizes those inside town.

"There's enough riders around," he said. "There’s 20,000 of them."

Linn rejects arguments that rural vendors cause a safety risk. Operations like his include plenty of signage and avoid posting up at extremely high or low points on the road that would cause visibility issues.

Linn said he's fine paying a nominal fee for rural locations, so long as it was "reasonable for the services provided."

"When we're out in a rural spot, we are the ones paying for six portajohns," he said. "We’re paying for the garbage collection ourselves. We’re paying for the electricity from our generator."

If more counties implement bans or restrictions, he said he wouldn't take his shop into town, but pull out of the event altogether.

"It doesn't appear based on the comments I see to be what RAGBRAI riders want," Linn said. "Riders enjoy vendors on the side of the road."