Summer is unofficially over and it was a historically busy one for Perry.

Between the Raccoon River Valley Trail grand opening in June, RAGBRAI in July and Fly Iowa in August… hundreds of area residents volunteered countless hours to make sure each event went smoothly.

So what can be learned after all this?  Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bob Wilson has been involved in all three large scale events and says even he didn’t realize how much it takes to make the festivities happen.

“There’s so much more on the back end than anybody will ever realize” says Wilson.  “Take a moment to appreciate it if you’re ever at a big thing and just kind of look around and see how safe everything is and how everything is running smoothly and you’ll get a whole new perspective.”

Wilson says Fly Iowa was another very successful event and another great chance to showcase Perry.

Things aren’t slowing down yet though.  There are several open houses, chamber coffee events and celebrations like the Latino Festival still coming up this fall in Perry.