Milo became Milo-Ritaville for this year's RAGBRAI, bringing a tropical party to Iowa

MILO — Limbo. Margaritas. A parrot. Tropical portable toilets.

Welcome to Milo-Ritaville.

Milo has a population of just 778, but as a banner in the town square said, Milo-Ritaville had a population of 20,778 on Day 4 of RAGBRAI. The city square had been remodeled completely to fit the theme. Surfboards were posted on portable toilets, flower garlands were hung everywhere and Pedro the donkey wandered the streets with pickle shots for sale.

While city themes aren't uncommon on RAGBRAI, Milo took it a step further, even hiring a live DJ to spin up hits like "Margaritaville."

There were more activities, including a margarita bar by popular local bar and grill Houston's on Main. Even though it was just a pass-through town, the City Council and community wanted to put on an exciting event.

"We had a million ideas," Mayor Diane Hall said. "We had to pare it down to just the best things."

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Hall was proud of many features, but her favorite was an oversized Adirondack chair made by community member Jack Byers.

"You see them at the actual Margaritaville and a lot of beach resorts," she said. "After this week, we'll change the logo and leave it in the city square as a semi-permanent fixture."

Co-chair of the RAGBRAI celebration Jeff Griggs said the theme originated at a meeting for pass-through towns in early April. They'd been discussing the idea for a theme for a while, but they finally settled on one at that meeting.

"Our city clerk, Misti Kosman, had been in Florida recently and she said, 'What about this?,'" he said. "As soon as I heard, I put my pen down, because I knew that's what we were doing."

From there, it was a matter of figuring out all the decorations, special attractions and getting community support. Griggs said the community turned out in force to bring a slice of the tropical to Iowa.

"My favorite thing was watching people step-up," he said. "We've got such an incredible community, and they were so helpful."

Besides putting together a unique event, Milo also wanted to raise money to replace the old playground in the city park. Co-chair of the RAGBRAI celebration Erica Wadle said it is 30 years old and some pieces are withering away. At this year's RAGBRAI, they had a community stand selling hundreds of slices of pie for the cause.

"This was a great opportunity for a fresh start," Wadle said. "For a small town, we have a lot of big events, and they're all in the city park."

All the members of the City Council were proud of the work they'd done, and hoped that it would entice RAGBRAI to return. For many riders, the work paid off and made Milo one of their favorite stops of RAGBRAI so far.

"I love small town vibes," Ed Driscoll, 63, said. It was his third year on RAGBRAI, and the second his family joined. Even though their team name is Forced Family Fun, his wife and son were both more than eager to come again this year.

"This is the best of America," Michelle Viallaume-Driscoll, 62, said. "It's gorgeous."

Milo with its tropical and obviously Jimmy Buffett-inspired theme resonated with the family.

"We're huge Jimmy Buffett fans," Driscoll said. "He'd love this. He'd have such a great time here."

Ryan Magalhã es is a reporter for the Register. Reach them at rmagalhaes@dmreg.com .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Milo became Milo-Ritaville for this year's RAGBRAI, bringing a tropical party to Iowa