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Washington Evening Journal
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Mt. Pleasant resident eagerly hosts U.S. Air Force RAGBRAI team again
Doris Price can’t say thank you enough to the men and women of the United States Air Force, so she offered them a place to stay for RAGBRAI
MT. PLEASANT — Not many have very vivid memories of the first time RAGBRAI came through Mt. Pleasant for the first time 15 years ago, but Doris Price does. As soon as she heard that Mt. Pleasant would host riders overnight once again, she immediately reached out to welcome back the same group she hosted all those years ago.
Doris’s son David Price joined the United States Air Force in 1990, so, when RAGBRAI first came through, Doris didn’t hesitate to invite the U. S. Air Force RAGBRAI team to set up camp in her yard right across from the Mt. Pleasant Middle School.
According to Doris, while her son was in the U. S. Air Force, he wanted to get leave to attend RAGBRAI but couldn’t, so he transferred to Albuquerque, New Mexico and got a group together with others from there to bike RAGBRAI together. Of course, they stayed at Doris’s house.
This year Doris welcomed approximately 135 riders and 12 support individuals into her yard where Thank You is Never Enough fed them walking tacos and watermelon in appreciation of their service to their country.
While Doris wouldn’t say it outright, Shelly Adkinson with Thank You is Never Enough said Doris reached out to them to see if they might like to do something to honor these military individuals camping on her lawn, and they were happy to serve.
As a nonprofit organization that raises money to aid veterans and veteran organizations in Southeast Iowa, feeding this group was exactly the kind of thing they love to do.
“Doris let us know they were going to be here, so here we are,” Atkinson said. “We love it. We had them all sign our banner of where they’re from and it’s kind of cool.”
Doris sat on her front porch behind an U. S. Air Force flag and a smile on her face as she chatted with members of the U. S. Air Force RAGBRAI team making their way into her yard after a very long Day Six ride from Ottumwa. She said she met service members that were stationed all throughout the world.
As she greeted Tim Crouch she asked him where he came from and where he was stationed. Crouch shared that he is from Story City and retired from U. S. Air Force.
“I’m tired and retired,” he said. “It was a long day today.”
Crouch expressed his gratitude for the place to stay and the food from Thank You is Never Enough.
“Thank you for serving,” Doris told Crouch. “Now, go get some rest.”
Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com
