Bikes filled downtown Washington as RAGBRAI came to town last Friday, cyclists enjoyed eating at Cafe Dodici. Photo by Sally Y. Hart

RAGBRAI pedaled into Washington in a whirlwind Friday and left the next day, leaving some area businesses and non-profit organizations with full cash registers, while others had turnouts below what they’d anticipated. The Washington Community Center had concessions available for purchase outside, but fell short of what they’d hoped for, with bananas being the biggest selling item. Also, the traffic at the high school and Case Field for shower usage was less than expected. The Washington Middle School also didn’t have the turnout it was hoping for during their meal fundraiser.

One business that saw many new faces was Cafe Dodici in downtown Washington. Owner Lorraine Williams said they had 850 customers come through the doors Friday, while on their normal busy holidays they serve about 180 people. She did say preparing for the event was stressful, trying to decide the quantities they’d need for different ingredients and space to keep those ingredients cold – like 60 gallons of milk for the coffee shop.

For photos of RAGBRAI in Washington visit KCII Radio’s Facebook page.