Bicycle, Blues, and BBQ Festival: July 8-10, 2011
Home of the 2011 Iowa State Championship Criterium Race

The party starts Friday night at 5:30 p.m. in City Park, right off Main Street in Clear Lake. Eat a helping (or two!) of barbecue and enjoy some soul-revivin’ blues featuring Ross William Perry as well as Reverend Raven and the Chain-Smoking Altar Boys.

Saturday’s activities begin at 7 a.m. with a charity fun ride.  Choose from several different rides--onsite registration will be held at City Park from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.  Guided rides to Forest City will depart at 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. featuring the scenic river road!  Be sure to check out the new Bike and Hike opportunity! All proceeds benefit the North Iowa Trails Association.

All you can eat Belgian Waffles with assorted flavored syrups, sausage, and beverages will be served by the Clear Lake Lion's Pride from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Cost is $6 for adults (in advance), and children 5 and under eat free. Advanced tickets are available at the Clear Lake Area Chamber Of Commerce office.

At 11 a.m., the BBQ starts heating up and the blues music continues into the evening. Lisa Wenger performs at 5 p.m. and is followed by Bruce McCabe and the Rich Poor Men Band!

Also on Saturday, a criterium will run from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. through the streets of Clear Lake. This USCF-sanctioned NASCAR-style road race is short, intense, and usually runs on closed-off city streets. All skill levels and experience are welcome. If you prefer to be a spectator, you can watch the action from City Park.

Rounding out the weekend is Sunday’s Iowa Cup Series Road Race, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Surf Ballroom; sign-in will begin at 8 a.m. The race is a point to point route running through the beautiful North Iowa countryside and will be sure to be a memorable competition.

There is a $10,000 race purse for the weekend bicycling events. For more race information, contact Tim Putnam at northiowaspin@yahoo.com.

See you this July!!

Casey Martin, Tim Putnam, & Mark Dix
Festival Directors