Perry continues to reap the benefits of this year’s busy summer and hopes are that won’t end anytime soon.

Mayor Jay Pattee says the Raccoon River Valley Trail and RAGBRAI have really helped draw attention to Perry as a recreational destination.  He says it has become a regular occurrence to see cars pull into town with bicycles in or on them.

“They park in the city parking lot, across from City Hall, they unload their bicycles and they hit the trail early in the morning.  And we’ll see those folks come back late in the afternoon.  We can’t say for sure but I think it’s a pretty good bet that what they’ve done is rode the entire look.  What is impressive for me, and encouraging for me is the fact that they chose Perry to be their beginning point and end point as they did that.

Mayor Pattee says many bicyclists then stay in town for the night or at least grab a snack or meal before heading back home.  He says hopefully these recreational opportunities only continue to grow with the hopeful connection between the Raccoon River Valley and High Trestle Trails.

The beginning steps of making that connection are in the works and hopes are that it will be completed as soon as possible.