THANK YOU! The successful Raccoon River Valley Trail banquet on February 16 brought in a total of $21,362, which will mean a net of $14,322 for the RRVT Association to use in promoting our trail and its communities.
But best of all, with Van Harden giving a tremendous speech, the 2013 banquet may well have been the most fun one of the six we’ve had over the years. You can get the details and see 44 photos right here.
The sixth annual banquet of the Raccoon River
Valley Trail Association on Saturday night, Feb. 16, was another big
success, with about 200 people on hand at the Lake Panorama National
Resort & Conference Center north of Panora. The crowd heard a
speech from well-known WHO radio personality Van Harden that was
hilarious and touching, in different moments, and earned him a rousing,
standing ovation.
The banquet raised a total of $21,362, with that coming from sales of
187 banquet tickets at $40 apiece, silent & live auctions that
brought in $9,718, raffles that produced $1,394, and cash donations of
$2,770. After meal costs and other expenses are deducted, the RRVT
Association is expecting to net $14,322 – all of which will go toward
the organization’s mission of marketing and promoting the trail and all
the towns along it.
Daniel Willrich, of Dallas Center, the association’s chairperson,
reminded the crowd that 2013 “is going to be one of our busiest years
ever.” The completion of the new 33-mile”north loop” will bring the
RRVT’s total mileage to 89, making it one of the longest paved
recreational trails in the U.S. Willrich said the interior 72-mile loop
being formed by the addition opens up many possibilities for new
events. He cited as an example the “Market to Market Relay/Iowa” that
will use the trail as its route for a 75-mile running race between
Jefferson and Des Moines on May 11. He told of other events scheduled
on the RRVT in coming months, including a June 1 “grand opening”
celebration in Perry of the new loop.
read more and see 40+ photos