Entertainment announced for Fairfield RAGBRAI

The Fairfield RAGBRAI committee announced the entertainment planned for the overnight stop on July 25 during a town rally Thursday at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.

The three musical acts that will perform on the main stage are Sidewinders, BratPack Radio and the headliner, No Limits.

Performing on the beer stage will be local favorites Steve and Michaela McLain, and Ragged Blade Band. Roving entertainment will include Professor Adam Smasher and the Eternal Frontier, Cirque Wonderland (jugglers, living statues, stilt walkers) and Caricature by Steph.

Music on the main stage will last from 2-11 p.m., and on the beer stage will last from 1-7 p.m.

Steampunk theme

RAGBRAI committee members took turns speaking at the microphone about a different part of the event. Each committee member was dressed in the town's theme, 'Geared for Weird,” featuring steampunk and glo light party clothing and accessories.

What is steampunk? The rally covered that, too. It's a mixture of the Victorian era's romantic view of science combined with elements from the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s. In practice, this means that old-fashioned vests and corsets are updated with gears, goggles, and all manner of contraptions.

Dave Neff and Ron Hunerdosse of the publicity committee took the stage to talk about how Fairfield has established itself as great place to visit, and that's why RAGBRAI keeps coming back. This year will be the fifth time the great bicycle ride has come to town, the other four coming in 1979, 1988, 1997 and 2013. This is the first time the ride will pass through Libertyville.

Neff said residents can expect to see three waves of riders on July 25. The first wave will arrive around 9-10 a.m. These are the professionals, who take the ride seriously. The second wave arrives in the early afternoon. These tend to be families riding together. The third wave arrives in the late afternoon, and these are the partiers.

Housing and volunteering

Darien Sloat and Tammy Dunbar spoke about the need for housing and volunteers. Sloat said Fairfield will likely receive 2,000-3,000 requests to stay in a house. Some riders bring a tent and merely ask for space on the lawn. Others bring sleeping bags and ask for space on the floor of your house. He said the riders appreciate access to a bathroom and shower, and a place to fill a water bottle.

Sloat said riders should not expect to have full use of your home, to be fed and entertained, or receive towels, soap or shampoo.

Hosts can expect well-behaved, appreciative guests, who are usually gone by 9 a.m. the following day. Sloat said 99 percent of the people who host riders report that it was a great experience and they'd do it again. He said hosts can expect to meet some fascinating people 'who will remember your kindness.”

Dunbar said Fairfield RAGBRAI needs artists for a special decorating project. It needs volunteers in the campgrounds and information center to help riders navigate the town. It needs helpers in the beverage garden to serve beer and fetch ice. And it will certainly need volunteers to clean up on the night of the 25th and the following morning.

'We need you because 20,000 people are coming to town,” Dunbar said.

Josie Hannes and Kara Waugh talked about the different sizes, types and colors of Fairfield RAGBRAI shirts for sale. They encouraged the public to sign up to host riders, to volunteer, and to find their steampunk gear to 'spread the word to help us make this a dynamite experience for the riders and the entire town.” The group's website, www.fairfieldragbrai.com, contains information about how to sign up for those activities, a list of the entertainment, and a map of the route.

Hannes and Waugh thanked Fairfield RAGBRAI's executive committee for its hard work. The executive committee, which has changed in recent weeks, includes: Josh Laraby, Kevin Curran, Terry Baker, Laurie Noll, Afton Pedrick, Dunbar, Tammy Jones and Michael Halley.

Mottet's modified bike

Between each break in the action, resident Ray Mottet rode a modified bicycle around the stage. The seat and handlebars are about five feet off the ground, giving Mottet a bird's eye view of his surroundings.

Mottet said it's a bicycle his parents gave him when he was in grade school. He modified it to imitate a bicycle he saw in Popular Mechanics in the late 1960s.

'At that time, I was not as worried about breaking arms and legs as I am now,” he joked.

Mottet said he likes to get the bicycle out of the garage whenever RAGBRAI comes to town, or during special occasions like parades. He has fallen off twice, but thus far, that hasn't stopped him from getting back on.