ICON Water Trails Hosts Inaugural ICONic Riverfest

On June 11, 2025, ICON Water Trails hosted the first-ever ICONic Riverfest — made possible by Polk County — raising nearly $25,000 and removing 560 pounds of debris and 15 trailer loads of invasive species surrounding the region’s waterways. ICONic Riverfest is a regional volunteer initiative dedicated to furthering ICON’s mission of improving the quality, safety and enjoyment of Greater Des Moines’ (DSM’s) water trails, with funds raised by the event directly supporting these goals.

Cleaning Up at ICONic Riverfest in Greater Des Moines

The event began with a morning coffee hour, with welcoming remarks from ICON Executive Director, Stephanie Oppel, and Polk County Supervisor, Angela Connoly. Cole Miller, ICON Regional Coordinator, provided a safety briefing for volunteers following remarks.

Volunteers then dispersed to cleanup sites across the region, where they worked in teams to remove debris and invasive species and make various park improvements. The event brought together approximately 140 volunteers at 11 cleanup locations across ICON’s network, including Altoona, Bondurant, Des Moines, Johnston, Norwalk, Polk County, Polk County Conservation, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights parks.

 

Following the cleanups, volunteers celebrated the day’s achievements at Captain Roy’s with lunch and live music, performed by Andy Fleming of Brother Trucker Band.

ICONic Riverfest was made possible by Polk County, and several other keys sponsors including Athene, Nationwide, Principal, MidAmerican Energy, ISG, Businessolver, Knapp Properties, Turner Construction, Estes Construction, the Great Outdoors Foundation, Polk County Conservation and Des Moines Water Works.

“Polk County is proud to serve as a lead sponsor and champion of this initiative.” said Angela Connolly, Polk County Supervisor. “This cleanup event is a strong example of collaboration in action, bringing our missions together to create a lasting impact on the community and natural spaces we all value.”

“We are incredibly grateful to our volunteers, partners, and sponsors for their support of ICONic Riverfest,” said Stephanie Oppel, Executive Director of ICON Water Trails. “Their dedication to protecting and improving our region’s waterways enables us to continue activating the ICON Network and providing unique, safe outdoor experiences for our community.”

Find out more about ICON at iconwatertrails.com.

Described as the “most transformational quality-of-life project of our generation,” the ICON Water Trails will connect 80+ improvements across 150 miles of waterways in Greater Des Moines (DSM).

The Greater Des Moines Partnership calendar of events is a one-stop resource for activities taking place throughout the region. Find networking information for Greater Des Moines (DSM) businesses, including Chamber luncheons, roundtables and ribbon cuttings. You can also find live music happening each week thanks to the “Live Music This Week in DSM” blog series.