Ringgold County

Mount Ayr will be celebrating 150 years in 2025! A three-day celebration will be held September 19, 20 and 21st.

Mount Ayr was founded in 1875 and was named in honor of poet Robert Burns’ birthplace in Ayr, Scotland and the “Mount” was added to indicate its location on the highest point of land in the area.

Mount Ayr is also the county seat of Ringgold County.

Mount Ayr has a great school, hospital, and medical facilities. Judge Lewis Park is a welcoming city park that includes a swimming pool, baseball/softball fields, playgrounds, and a walking trail.

The new swimming pool will be open in 2025.

The town square has many businesses surrounding the square with the Ringgold County Courthouse in the middle. The courthouse is surrounded with a courtyard that includes a shelter house, Veteran’s statues, and benches to sit and enjoy the day.

Sitting on the southwest corner of the courtyard is a rock honoring Former Astronaut Peggy Whitson that was painted by Freedom Rock artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen. Whitson was a 1978 graduate of Mount Ayr High School. She logged

in 665 days in space through three missions on the International Space Station, more than any other American astronaut.

On the south side of the square is the restored Skelly Station which has been a great backdrop for many photographers. Originally built in 1941, it ceased operation in the early 1980’s. The vacant building was restored in 2011-12.

Mount Ayr has several other cultural, recreational and entertainment venues such as the Mount Ayr Public Library, the Princess Theater, Mount Ayr Golf & Country Club, Lucky Lanes Bowling Alley, and the Ringgold Outdoor Alliance basketball and volleyball courts.

Ringgold Senior Activity Center is a great place for the older crowd to gather to visit, play cards, exercise, and have events. Their building is available to rent for private events as well. For the youth in town there is the Upper Limits Teen Center with activities every weekend.

The Town of Tingley will be holding their Annual Ice Cream Social on August 30th

What began as an event to raise funds for the upkeep and maintenance of the Tingley Memorial Park has grown beyond the town’s expectations.

The park was created after a gentleman driving through Tingley everyday decided that an old building along main street needed to be torn down. He bought the property, knocked the building down and sold the property to the Town of Tingley for just $1.00. A group of community members got together and decided to create a Memorial Park in Tingley. The park was constructed in the fall of 2019 by volunteers.

In 2020 the community members held the first ice cream social to bring people together, dedicate the park and raise funds to maintain the park. It was decided to have a homemade ice cream tasting event and the people loved it. All entries were made from scratch in a crank or electric ice cream freezer and no commercial mixes are allowed. A pie baking contest was added to the event in 2022 in memory of Jenny Tull. The event also includes a show and shine car/tractor show, kids’ games and activities, live music and a meal provided by the Ringgold County Cattleman. Each year they have added more activities such as a craft & vendor show, and a corn hole tournament.

Road Trip Ringgold is a one-day event aimed at highlighting Ringgold County and all the communities that encompass it. Road Trip Ringgold is held the first Saturday in June.

Road trip with us through the backroads of Ringgold County discovering hidden treasures and communities along the way! This county-wide rummage sale and shop hop style event will sprawl from community to community and will be highlighted on our Road Trip Ringgold Event Map.

This map along with a list of stops, locations and shopping opportunities will be promoted throughout the Midwest Iowa Region.

Please visit www.intheayr.com/road-trip-ringgold to see how you can participate in the tour and have your business or location promoted!