Hours before the RAGBRAI bicyclists pedaled their way in, the downtown was packed as people, businesses and organizations were scurrying about to get booths and tables set up.

Before Wednesday morning arrived, streets were closed to give the riders a clear route and local and visiting organizers the opportunity to get everything together and make Marshalltown a memorable stop. Along Main Street and roads between the former and Church, stands and trucks were set up to provide food and drink, bicycling gear, information and more.

One such truck was The Outside Scoop from Grimes, manned by Drew Woodley which arrived yesterday morning. Fortunately, since he had a food truck, the set-up work was minimal.

“I like Marshalltown,” Woodley said. “I think the community is supportive. When RAGBRAI comes through a town like this, it’s a good turnout.”

The ice cream business has made following RAGBRAI riders an annual activity. The yearly ride is one of the biggest events for The Outside Scoop during the summer months.

“We do the Des Moines Arts Fest and things like that, but the whole RAGBRAI week, as a whole, is probably one of our biggest money makers for the year,” he said.

The sign Woodley set up beside the truck displayed the choices of flavors customers could choose from – including Goat Cheese and Roasted Cherries, the flavor Woodley said they are most known for.

Outside of serving the customers, he intended to visit some of the local trucks, sample their wares and build relationships with Marshalltown businesses. Woodley particularly looked forward to the performance of The Pork Tornadoes.

After setting up shop next to the Marshall County Courthouse, he took in the sights from the truck and noticed all of the volunteers in bright green shirts doing a variety of tasks.

“It’s cool Marshalltown has that kind of support to host something like this,” Woodley said.

Close to The Outside Scoop, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) deputies set up tables and a tent on the courthouse lawn.

Sheriff Joel Phillips said his department provided information for residents and visitors regarding shuttles, areas of Marshalltown and how to get out of the county in the morning with the bicycle traffic.

“We expect the traffic to pick up at 5 a.m.,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of traffic between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. so the riders can get to Independence, which is the longest part of the journey. It’s going to be a nice day, so I think we’re going to have a lot of people heading out early.”

The biggest piece of advice Phillips had for people is to avoid the east side of Marshalltown – particularly from East Main Street to Wallace Avenue. The MCSO established contact with businesses in that neighborhood and asked if any scheduled deliveries could be delayed until RAGBRAI makes its way through.

“We’re going to have a lot of officers on Wallace Avenue and state patrol,” Phillips said. “Secondary roads will be directing traffic, along with the sheriff’s office to make sure bicycles and traffic can get where they need to go. People just have patience.”

The workload for MCSO increased when Marshalltown was announced as an overnight stop in RAGBRAI. Every deputy with the MCSO had been working 12-hour shifts, Phillips said.

“We started yesterday [Tuesday] and will go into 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. Thursday once they all leave the county,” he said. “Then we will get everything packed up. This is very labor-intensive, and that’s not counting the committee meetings, the coordination with transportation, state patrol and secondary roads. There is a lot of advance time that goes into this to make sure it goes off successfully.”

Fortunately, Phillips was here when Marshalltown hosted RAGBRAI in 2012, and he helped neighboring counties such as Hardin and Tama when the ride went through those borders.

“I learned from 2012 from some of the mistakes that were made, and the planning that we did in advance,” he said. “We treat this like any other major event or incident. It’s a framework for future planning. It’s neat that we all come together, plan ahead and utilize some of the planning. It shows the planning where everything should go off without a hitch.”

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.