The little community of Lytton has garnered a whole lot of love, both during and after RAGBRAI 2021 rolled through on Monday, July 26. One of the organizers, Scott Matter, spoke with Carroll Broadcasting prior to the ride and said then they had two goals. One was to make Lytton the most fun stop of the year and the second was to raise money to help offset the cost of the newly built fire station.
Lytton RAGBRAI collected more than $15,000 to donate to the fire station. Matter says they are still paying some expenses, but some of the money raised will also be used for support of another community project.
Mayor, Jeff Ellerbrock, says the giving didn’t end on that Monday of RAGBRAI. The attention they received has resulted in some phenomenal outpourings of support. Ellerbrock explains the fire department has a board of trustees for Lytton and the surrounding townships they serve. It was a board member that came to his office to tell him of an incredible act of generosity.
Lauridsen was one of the initial donors as well, giving $2,000 as start-up funds. Ellerbrock says the Lauridsen family has been very generous in a lot of places and Lytton is one of them. Matter adds it was the coverage of RAGBRAI at Lytton that touched Lauridsen enough to come back with the major donation. Ellerbrock says it didn’t end there.
And the donations kept coming…
Matter says that is $54,000 that came in on top of the $25,000 to $30,000 they raised for local organizations. Matter participated in RAGBRAI and says people, including Director, Dieter Drake, were impressed with the small town and the positive energy, telling him they had a ball. But he says it took the entire community, and then some, pulling together to make it happen. Matter and Ellerbrock both want to thank the over 300 volunteers, which was more than Lytton’s population of around 275. There were people from Des Moines, Bondurant and even Florida who helped out. And though they are more than happy to be included in RAGBRAI again, Ellerbrock jokes they need at least a year off before jumping in to plan another memorable day.
