An informational sign sits across the street from the Blackfoot Commercial Company and Ovando Inn. The spot where the sign is located is a free place for bikers to sleep.
OVANDO - A cycling T-shirt hung for the first time on the side of Kathy Schoendoerfer's store, the Blackfoot Angler. On a normal year, hundreds of bike-packers, racers and cycling tours would have already passed through Ovando. However, this year they are only a trickle.
"It is not like they all spend a lot of money, especially in my shop, but they can pick up a T-shirt. It's just little things," said Schoendoerfer who manages the Ovando Improvement Fund. "They will visit the museum and make a donation. Without them there's no donation to the museum, I don't sell a t-shirt and trust me that's a buck that I am not going to get back."
Schoendoerfer estimated as many as 1,000 cyclists stop in Ovando during various bike rides or races. But with the coronavirus canceling most events, including the 2020 Tour Divide 2,745-mile self-supported race from Banff, AB, Canada to Antelope Wells, N.M. that typically departs from Canada June 12, not a single cyclist appeared in the town square June 18.
The small town is a major stop for cyclists, with amenities like free camping areas, a small town bar and a local community that loves the energy hundreds of passers-by bring. It most recently beat out bustling cities like Helena and Butte to win "Community of the year" by the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development in 2018, the smallest town to do so with 50 residents.
For Ovando, this summer is about living without the usual travelers that cannot make the visit.
"I have had about 12 bicycles in here when I should have had 250," said Blackfoot Commercial Inn owner Fred Valiton.
Until mid-June, the Inn had not booked any reservations, but recently Valiton said people have started to book rooms for the next 60 days. He added many cycling groups like Adventure Cycling canceled their trips recently.
The Inn not only has beds and meals available, but it also sold snacks and drinks to travelers on their way through. Valiton explained the loss of cyclists even buying small things will hurt him.
"Every bicyclist that comes in here I can get $10-15 out of them, or if they spend the night $75 or $80, " Valiton said. "Bicyclists are very important to our little business here in Ovando. They support us very well."
According to Schoendoerfer, the few bikers who made the trip through town understood the situation Ovando was in, and donated more than usual to the museum's fund. Despite the donation, places like the museum, and other public spots funded by the Ovando Improvement Fund will likely suffer the worst.
"It's 100% funded by shelters that the cyclists put 5 bucks in," Schoendoerfer said. " [The fund] pays for the Ovando website and it pays for the new flags in town and I've been saving up for a new lawn or sprinkler system for the museum."
Though cyclists have been essentially absent, Valiton noticed visitors are starting to pick up for the fishing season.
Schoendoerfer said she noticed her first good business day at the angler shop June 17, and predicted good fishing will begin within the next week. Above all, she reminisced over the feeling of having dozens of new faces in town every day.
"It's the vitality, the excitement that the cyclists bring through," Schoendoerfer said. "When the Stray Bullet was open and a bunch came in that weren't the die-hard racers there would be a party atmosphere in town."
While the decision did not come easily, the community of Ovando decided to canceled their Fourth of July parade and community celebration after the Ovando Fire Department and Helmville Quick Response Unit announced that they were canceling their barbecue. Members of the Ovando community voted two to one to cancel the parade. Adding to the decision was the increased risk to those 60 years old and older, an age bracket that is well represented in the community. Ovando promises a MEGA parade in 2021.
"Apologies to all, but it was determined that it is better to be safe right now than sorry later," wrote Kathy Schoendoerfer on Facebook.
"The possibility of even one person getting ill in our community is not acceptable."
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