The Knoxville community is preparing for downtown closures and a large influx of people as RAGBRAI comes to town on Wednesday.

The Knoxville square and downtown roads will be closed starting at 6:00  Wednesday morning so that vendors can start setting up and the community can prepare for the large crowd staying for the overnight stop. There are many camping areas throughout the community and there will be shuttle services from those campgrounds to the downtown area, which is where the concerts will be held and where all the vendors will be located. A complete RAGBRAI Knoxville map, including all the designated camping areas, shuttle stops, and vendors, can be found here. 

It is also important to note that Highway 14 on the south side of town will be difficult to travel on when riders start coming into town as early as noon on Wednesday. However, it is expected that most of the riders will start coming in later in the afternoon. Knoxville Mayor Brian Hatch encourages the community to embrace this event.

“I’m asking that you be patient, but at the same time embrace it and enjoy it. It’s a great day for Knoxville. It’s fun and it’s something different. It’s an opportunity for us to put Knoxville in a good light.”

Riders will leave Knoxville Thursday morning on Attica Road as they head toward their next stop in Ottumwa.