The Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) joined an elite company with 34 other trails across the U.S. Thursday when it was inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame, sponsored by the nation’s largest trails organization, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC).
About 75 people attended the induction celebrations at the RRVT trailhead in Perry, which included remarks from Raccoon River Valley Trail Association Chairperson Sandy Lowe, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy President Ryan Chao and other notables. The induction followed a ceremonial 19-mile bike ride from the Waukee trailhead to Perry that skirted the morning’s thunderstorms.
The induction ceremonies were moderated by Chuck Offenburger of Cooper, former Des Moines Register columnist and a longtime RRVT promoter, and featured a number of elected officials and regional leaders credited with the trail’s development, which began in the late 1980s.
Offenburger recalled riding the RRVT on its opening day in 1989, and he celebrated the trail’s growth as a “vital tourist engine for central Iowa, embraced by the region and state as an asset for health, wellness and connection.” He said he moved to his Cooper homestead in Greene County because of its proximity to the RRVT.
Offenburger’s welcome and trail reminiscences were followed by official congratulations from Perry Mayor John Andorf, who said he “can’t imagine Perry, Iowa, without the Raccoon River Valley Trail.”
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation President Emeritus Mark Ackleson of Des Moines said Iowa’s growing trail system is “about connecting us, our communities and nature” and also presents a welcome “emphasis on arts and culture.”
Ackleson, who is also a former director of the RTC, took a moment to honor the RRVT’s supporters who are no longer living but whose support made attainment to the Hall of Fame possible.
Dallas County Conservation Board Executive Director Mike Wallace was praised as the RRVT’s master fundraiser for his steady success in landing federal and state recreational trail grants. Wallace said the 89-mile RRVT is the longest paved loop trail in the nation.
“We’re standing by that until someone proves us wrong,” Wallace said to laughter and clapping from the audience.
Wallace said he submitted the latest application for federal grant funding just this week, and he announced that “key parcels” of land were recently acquired by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation that will be crucial to the completion of the High Trestle Trail connector to Perry.
Congratulatory messages were then read aloud from Iowa’s U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and U.S. Representatives Cindy Axne and Randy Feenstra.
Sandy Lowe of Panora, chair of the RRVT Association, thanked the legion of donors and volunteers who made the Hall of Fame induction possible. Lowe said the 2022 RRVT Association banquet is scheduled for Feb. 26 at the Country Lane Lodge in Adel.
RTC President Ryan Chao of Washington, D.C., completed the round of congratulations. Chao noted the record-setting voter turnout for the RRVT’s Hall of Fame nomination. He said voting by the public occurred between July 30 and Aug. 6, 2021, with the RRVT securing some 38,000 votes, more than twice the highest number ever previously received by a nominee.
The RRVT also secured about 43% of the votes among the three 2021 nominees, making it the 35th inductee into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Chao said an increase in federal trails funds is expected as part of President Biden’s infrastructure investment, they joined to make the induction official.
The RTC’s Rail-Trail Hall of Fame “recognizes trails from across the country for outstanding scenic value, use, amenities, historical significance and community value,” Chao said. The RTC is the nation’s largest trails organization, with a grassroots community of more than 1 million members who are “dedicated to building a nation connected by trails, reimagining public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike and be active outdoors.”
Lunch was served out of the Perry Welcome Depot following the induction ceremonies.
