Simply Magical Ovando
Annual Events
Small Town Heart and Colorful Personality bring Great Fun
Mid-Winter-All-Ovando Luau
Held early each February the Mid Winter Luau is for Ovando residents only, to beat cabin fever and rekindle friendships. Hawaiian clothes, bright colors and flamboyant hats are the dress code. Potluck lunch and a group photo makes the day warm on a cold winter day.
4th of July Celebration
Ovando's 4th of July has been called "The Biggest Taste of Old Time Americana, by the Smallest Old Town". Ovando stands proudly decorated in red, white and blue with flags flying everywhere. Starting off the festivities is the 4th of July Parade whose theme every year is "Everybody participates! Nobody watches". It is followed by a BBQ of hamburgers and hot dogs sponsored by the Ovando Volunteer Fire Department and Helmville Quick Response Unit.
Helmville Rodeo
Each Labor Day our sister town of Helmville, just a half hour east, has the best Rodeo for a small town in the entire state, in our honest opinions. Two days provide bronc and bull riding, barrel racing, roping and the fan favorite, Mutton' Bustin'; where little kids try to beat the 8 second clock on a sheep.
Old West Christmas Fest
Held Friday, November 23, this annual event is kid-oriented and getting better every year. Local Ovando handcrafted items for sale, soul warming foods, petting zoo, and horse-drawn wagon rides, a downtown filled with Christmas lights, and the smell of wood fires in the air; that is Ovando's Old West Christmas Fest. Kids of all ages can make gingerbread houses, enjoy crafts and games, and visit with Cowboy Claus, who arrives on horseback to the Museum after riding in along highway 200. At the church the Ovando Cook-off event Best Breakfast Casserole, winner announced at noon.