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Lincoln Highway Bridge Festival goes off without a hitch

The High School Band, under the direction of Mike Carnahan, brought a bit of The Trojan Way to downtown Tama. PHOTO BY MICHAEL D. DAVIS

The 38th annual Lincoln Highway Bridge Festival has come and gone, providing a fun community gathering with something for everyone. From parades to pancakes the event was an absolute success.

The event could not have been so successful without careful planning of Chamber Coordinator Marlys Upah, who detailed the events of the multi-day festival in downtown Tama.

“The turnout for the Lincoln Highway Bridge Festival this year was fantastic! The great weather played a huge factor but the committee did an amazing job making sure everything ran smoothly,” she said. “Whether you came out for the carnival, the parade, the musical entertainment, the pancake breakfast, the food vendors, or everything in between, there was something for everyone!”

She offered special thanks to community and business sponsors, city employees, the Tama Firemen, Sue Carnahan, Cat Campbell, Jill Kienzle, Kendall Jordan, Jason Bina, Marty Hardon, and everyone from the Tama-Toledo Chamber of Commerce who helped out with the event.

Speaking of big events, perhaps the biggest event the community has ever seen is coming up on Thursday, July 27 — Tama-Toledo will host an overnight stop for the 50th anniversary of Ragbrai this summer, and plenty of help is still needed. There are hundreds of volunteer slots available — most shifts around 3 hours or so — with the chance to greet riders and make the event a huge success.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL D. DAVIS

Not sure how you can help? Check out www.tamatoledoragbrai.com to stay up-to-date on entertainment, camping, sponsorship opportunities, vendor opportunities, and all those volunteer opportunities.

“There’s a spot for everyone — get signed up today! Let’s show the RAGBRAI riders our Tama-Toledo pride,” Upah said.

The STC MS Band marched in the parade, along with an appearance from the high school band later in the lineup. PHOTO BY MICHAEL D. DAVIS

On Saturday morning, the Tama Fire Department hosted their annual free will donation pancake breakfast. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER