Cowboy Clause and Wild West Christas Fest mark the start of the Christmas season

Kids and parents thronged downtown Ovando Nov. 25 as they waited for the arrival of Cowboy Claus, the highlight of The Wild West Christmas Fest.

"When Cowboy Claus was coming up and I looked behind me and the mass of children...thats why I do this thing," said Kathy Schoendoerfer. It's Cowboy Claus and the kids and the smiles."

Cowboy Claus - said to be Santa's cousin who helps out around the west, made his usual entrance into town astride his Haflinger St. Nick and greeted the crowd of kids and their families before heading into the Brand Bar Museum to listen to the kids Christmas wishes.

"There were a lot of children here. I really think it was a record," Schoendoerfer said. "I know the weather helps because its not that cold out and icy, but wow! The line when he was in (the museum) was almost out in the middle of the street."

Although Cowboy Claus was the big hit, the Christmas fest featured plenty to keep families in Ovando for the day. The fire hall was home to the traditional gingerbread house building, M&M the mule returned for the petting zoo and the Blackfoot community church had cookies and ornament making.

For those looking to do a little Christmas shopping, the Ovando school gym was crowded with craft vendors, while Howie and Peggy Fly held a sale in the old barn they own behind the Stray Bullet. The couple have the barn up for sale and needed to clear out some of the treasures they'd stored there over the years.

"Thank you to everybody who came," Schoendoerfer said.

Missing from this years event were the wagon rides that typically carry visitors around the town. The Henrekins, who normally handle the wagon or sleigh rides around town for the day, had a death in the family that kept them from taking part. Shoendoerfer contacted Lincoln's Billy Cyr, who had brought his team and wagon down for the event a couple times before. She said Cyr planned on providing the rides, but had a horse pull up lame that morning.

"We don't do anything that's gonna injure the horses," Schoendoerfer said.

Schoendoerfer, owner of the Blackfoot Angler and Ovando's unofficial "organizer of frivolous affairs," resigned from putting together the Christmas Fest a couple years ago. "You can see how well that worked out," she joked. Leigh Ann Valiton took over the duties in 2018 but was faced with a full plate of other priorities this year, so Schoendoerfer stepped back in.

"I just know we are in serious need of people to help with it next year," she said, explaining that she won't be able to be a lot of help due to her other commitments, including partnering with Terry Shepard next year to bring back a popular haunted house for Halloween.

Ovando's Christmas Fest isn't quite as wild as it was when it began back in 2000. The staged gunfights (using blanks) around town that kept visitors on their toes and were a hallmark of the event fell by the wayside as participants got older and safety concerns became an issue. Likewise, hatchet throwing has been missing from the agenda for the past couple years, following the passing of Tom Black in 2017.

Nonetheless, the event remains as popular as ever with families who like to get away from the cities and spend some time enjoying a more laid back western Christmas celebration.