“Your Hospitality Was Amazing”

WAITSBURG - Shortly after Cycle Oregon organizer Tara Corbin arrived in Waitsburg ahead of the 2,250 cyclists coming here for their midweek stay last week, Mayor Walt Gobel took her to see the city's "Hollywood" sign on the hill: a giant bicycle ploughed into the field south of town to greet the far-flung visitors.

"That almost brought tears to my eyes," Corbin said about the iconic welcome initiated by local hospitality coordinator Deanne Johnson. "It was one of those standout moments for me during our stay in Waitsburg."

It was far from the only "outstanding" reception the cyclists received from everyone in Waitsburg, which will be remembered by tour organizers and cyclists alike as one of the friendliest towns in Cycle Oregon's 23-year history.

"Your community went above and beyond," Corbin said. "Your hospitality was amazing. You're really proud of your community and it shows. I can't thank you enough."

From tour organizers and cyclists to local businesses and baggage handlers, everyone agreed Cycle Oregon's twonight stay in Waitsburg, which turned the fairgrounds into something close to a Roman encampment and Preston Park into a small Woodstock, was a big success.

The event is estimated to have brought in at least $50,000 for volunteer organizations, in business sales and in city fees. But perhaps even more importantly, it put Waitsburg in a really good light to 2,450 people (cyclists, Cycle Oregon volunteers, staff and contractors) who may well return as a group or as individuals. In considering future routes, the kind of wel­come Waitsburgers provided "doesn't go unnoticed" by Cycle Oregon organizers, Corbin said, particularly since the cyclists usually remember their overnight stays best.

Although the tour's focus has traditional been routes in Oregon, the group has ven­tured into neighboring states and may well do so again. Gobel, who faced his first big community event since becoming mayor this spring, said he had been worried about the sheer size of the tour and the corresponding odds of something going wrong, such as legal trouble or law enforcement issues.

But other than a mild case of dehydration that sum­moned the Waitsburg am­bulance to Preston Park, the three days went "so smooth," Gobel said. "Somehow, I have a feeling they may be back. I want to thank the entire community for helping make this a success." One possible legacy of Cycle Oregon is Waitsburg­ers' interest in organizing a regular "Wait's Market" like the one that filled Preston Park with vendors, food stands, musicians and Waits­burg's

own celebrity, Izzy the camel. (See editorial about a farmers market on page 2.) After a weekend of repose and reflection, most Waits­burgers were still high on the emotional and financial impact of one of the biggest visitations in its 145-year history.

"The dollars are won­derful," Waitsburg School District Superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke said. "But one of the greatest benefits was our kids interacting with the cyclists and hearing their sto­ries. There was an energy that was incredible for our kids to experience." Students who helped load and unload baggage for the cyclists made a collective $3,500 in tips and another $2,400 for their student ac­tivities.

The Green Team of kids organizing and handling the event's recycling brought in $5,500 - enough to buy 30 new, flat-screen monitors for the elementary school's computer lab. The wine-tasting event at the Bruce Mansion that drew a crowd of about 300 report­edly brought in more than $1,000 in donations to the Waitsburg Historical Society. Deputy City Clerk Kelly Steinhoff, who took the lead for the event's local organiza­tion, said direct service con­tracts alone brought $20,000 into the community, spread out over various community and school groups that vol­unteered for Cycle Oregon as a fundraiser. The city itself earned about $2,000 from various user fees.

Business earnings from Cycle Oregon were some­what harder to gather, but an­ecdotes of success abounded. The Whoop Em Hollow Café had two record nights of business, the new Tacqueria Don Miguel ran out of food, Laht Neppur's kegs ran dry and the Waitsburg Grocery store had to special order beer. Several of the 27 Wait's Market vendors made more than $500 from their stand.

"Every business in Waits­burg just did a bang-up job," said hospitality coordinator Deanne Johnson. "It was good for everybody in town. Everybody worked very hard." Johnson's husband and Lions member Larry John­son said "everybody who had something to sell sold it," from the local FFA chapter selling "Grapes Grain" T shirts to Mickey Richards' photos with Izzy. Corbin said in terms of Cycle Oregon's partnership with Waitsburg, the three-day visit here was just the tip of the iceberg. Waitsburg city and community organizers proved their mettle through the many months of planning and preparations since the tour was announced early this year. "Everyone was a pleasure to work with," she said. "It was amazing how many people stepped up."