RAGBRAI hits Anamosa

If you’ve not heard of RAGBRAI, I dare say you may have been living under a rock.

RAGBRAI is The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Register meaning the Des Moines Register, Iowa’s largest newspaper. For 40 years, bicyclists have spent one week in July winding their way across Iowa, west to east, from the banks of the Missouri to those of the Mississippi. There are six overnight stays, where upwards of 10,000 people lay siege to those six communities. Anamosa is the last overnight stop of the week, and it is expected to host the most people due to that status. (And there's a rumor that Lance Armstrong may be here.)

This has probably been the most challenging project I’ve had in recent memory. The mission: coordinate tons of information and arrange it in a fashion that’s easy to digest.

front, center, back

Aside from thinking of a newsletter, I can’t even begin to describe how I did this. The mantra was: Simplicity. And it was important to keep it a little playful, to keep in tune with the Ride It Like You Stole It logo. I was fortunate to find a font similar to that of the logo, and a couple graphics to go with the prison motif: a guy behind bars and a surly lunch lady. Oh! Why the prison motif? Anamosa is home to a state penitentiary. If you’ve cruised channels late at night on weekends, you may have seen the prison on MSNBC’s Lock Up series.

As late items came in, I had to nip and tuck and tweak and tighten, and make it look like it was there all along. It’s like putting on an addition to a house; you want it to blend in seamlessly. I had hoped to include more pictures, but they were the first casualties in the battle for space. A bonus is the map is being blown up to 4’ x 6’ and will be on display at a couple locations downtown. (I may even get one as a keepsake.)

I plan to wander about on July 27 and take as many photos as possible.

In the meantime, I need to begin my research on basket weaving. Yes, basket weaving. I’ll be doing the brochure, poster, and postcards for a basket weaving weekend in November, but the push for registrants needs to start in late August/early September.