PANORA, Iowa, February 24, 2008 – The Raccoon River Valley Trail Association held its first membership banquet on Saturday, Feb. 23, attracted a capacity crowd and saw more than $8,500 raised during auctions of donated items.

There were 154 who gathered in the banquet room of The Port restaurant north of Panora to enjoy a social hour, full buffet dinner, silent and live auctions, and a program on Raccoon River Valley Trail history, activities and future plans.

Auctioneer Kelly Daugherty, of Adel, masterfully conducted a live auction of 18 items, which included an original cartoon specially done for the auction by Des Moines Register cartoonist Brian Duffy, who is also host of RAGBRAI.  The cartoon showed a raccoon, wearing a helmet, riding a bicycle down the trail, to the puzzlement of another raccoon watching from behind a tree. After spirited bidding, it was sold to avid cyclist John Morrow, of Ankeny, for $800.

Daugherty coaxed another $800 for sponsorship of one of the new mileage signs along the RRVT from trail supporter Joe Connolly, of Council Bluffs.

When Connolly’s winning bid was confirmed, then runner-up bidder Viivi Shirley, the mayor of Perry, said her city would buy another sign sponsorship for $800. Then Perry Chamber of Commerce executive Wendy Goodale said her organization would buy yet another sign sponsorship for that same amount. And then Daugherty said he was so pleased that his Daugherty Auction & Real Estate Services, of Adel, would buy yet another trail sign sponsorship for $800.  That had the crowd cheering.

There were 39 other items sold in a silent auction during the evening.

Association members and other trail enthusiasts came from as far away as Council Bluffs and Des Moines, as well as from nearly all of the communities along the current 56 miles of the trail, as well as towns on the planned 33-mile north loop. Work on that new addition to the 19-year-old trail is scheduled to begin this spring or summer.

Part of the entertainment was the first public showing of a new five-minute video about the RRVT, which was photographed and produced by Neil Zaugg of Applied Art & Technology, in West Des Moines. 

A new RRVT brochure was also released at the banquet that briefly highlights all communities along the existing trail.  The brochure will be used in promotional events for the trail, as well as distributed to Chambers of Commerce and other community organizations and businesses along the trail.

The crowd was very enthusiastic about the long list of accomplishments the RRVT Association has had in its first two years of operation, as well as all the planning for future growth and development along the trail and its new north loop. Owners of several new trail-related businesses in the three counties were introduced and applauded.

The banquet seemed so successful, said Guthrie County Conservation Director Joe Hanner, that “this is going to become something really big and special for the trail association.”

The non-profit organization functions “like a Chamber of Commerce and development group for the trail itself and all the trail communities,” said association president Carla Offenburger, of Cooper.  It is directed by a 16-member board, and works in close conjunction with the County Conservation Boards in Dallas, Guthrie and Greene Counties, which own, operate and maintain the trail and its right-of-way.

Article Published: 02-24-2008