PERRY, Iowa, May 5, 2011 — It will be a major step forward for the Raccoon River Valley Trail on Saturday, May 14, when the communities of Perry and Dawson have a grand opening to celebrate the completion of their 8-mile-long section of the new “North Loop” of the trail.

This is the first section of the 33-mile loop to be completed. Work will continue this spring and early summer on the trail surface between Waukee and Dallas Center, and in the town of Minburn. The rest of the North Loop is now scheduled for completion in the summer of 2012. When that happens, the RRVT will then be an 89-mile trail system, with an interior loop of 72 miles — the longest such loop in the U.S.

To celebrate the completion of the Perry-Dawson section of the trail, there will be a ceremony that Saturday morning at the trailhead in downtown Perry. Registration for the day’s events will start at 8:30 a.m., a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled at 9 a.m., then there will be a free bike ride to Dawson and back. For more details about that celebation, click into the “Trail Events” section of this RRVT site on the Internet, or click here to see a promotional flyer. The event for bicyclists will be a “poker ride,” with stops along the way where cyclists will pick up a playing card. The winners at the end of those rides will be those with the best poker hands. Among the prizes: A two-night stay at one of the brand new camping cabins at Sportsman Park along the trail just east of Dawson.

You will learn more about the trail and its amenities by checking the photos and captions below here.

Additional details will be included in this story later today.

Here is the welcome sign that will greet Raccoon River Valley Trail users when they arrive in the southeast part of Perry. The trail runs through the town on a diagonal to the northwest, then turning west to go to Dawson. The Perry trailhead is located downtown.

Here is the former railroad depot that has been nicely converted to the Perry Welcome Depot at the trailhead. It offers air-conditioning, fresh water, restrooms and information.

The portion of the RRVT that runs east-west through Perry is also known as the Hiawatha Trail, after the streamlined passenger trains that the Milwaukee Road railroad ran on the tracks that were on what is now the trail’s right-of-way.

At the Perry trailhead, you’ll see this classic water fountain which has been converted for use now.

The RRVT runs right behind the new downtown Perry center for Des Moines Area Community College, which will draw students of all ages. You can bet a good number of them will be riding bicycles to their classes and programs there.

This photo isn’t all that appealing, but we use it to show that the RRVT now runs right behind the Tyson Fresh Meats plant on the west side of Perry. The pork processing plant is the town’s largest employer, and you can bet that with the community’s now well-developed trail system, there will be increasing numbers of Tyson employees who will be walking or riding bicycles to work. In fact, from most areas of town, you can get to the Tysons plant faster by bicycle than you can in a car or truck.

Between Perry and Dawson, the trail’s corridor is spectacular. There are high banks along both sides of the trail in many long stretches, including here just east of F Avenue, about two miles east of Dawson. There are also mature trees lining much of the right-of-way. What that means is that your ride on the RRVT in this area is pretty well-protected from wind and sun, depending on what time of day you’re out there.

On the east edge of Dawson is Sportsman Park, where the Dallas County Conservation Board has recently built and opened two new camping cabins that have heat, air-conditioning, nice restrooms and kitchenettes. These are located just a few hundred feet north of the RRVT. Rentals and use have already started, and you can get more information on the Internet site of the conservation board.

Many users of the RRVT – especially those who come from urban areas across the U.S. – are fascinated by the views they get of Iowa agriculture as they use the trail through one of the most productive ag regions in the world. They’ll get a good, up-close look at a huge grain elevator as they come into Dawson. Notice how the grain bin and elevators at the West Central Cooperative facility dwarf the trail’s Dawson Depot!

Here is the Dawson Depot reception station trailside. The historic depot was just about to collapse when the Dallas County Conservation Board acquired it. After writing several grant applications, conservation officials raised more than $250,000 to stabilize and fully renovate the structure, which features restrooms, of course, and is also available for special events. A railroad museum is planned in the west section of the depot building.