BILLINGS, Mont. ? Part county fair. Part winter carnival. Part old-time revival.
All those elements were at work during an evening Olympic torch relay celebration in this snow-covered city where temperatures hit single digits Monday night. The harsh cold didn't seem to dampen anyone's enthusiasm for the flame.
"Nobody deserves it more than the outdoor, rugged people of Montana," said Montana Gov. Judy Martz, a former Olympic speed skater who along with cancer survivor Alison Fischer, 18, ignited the caldron.
Folks in Wyoming will have their day with the flame Tuesday when it traverses the state from top to bottom, resting for the night in Cheyenne.
Staged on the grounds of the MetraPark Expo Center, the Monday party in Billings had the feel of an country fair ? in the arctic.
Next to the Olympic flame, the most popular attraction was a warming fire around which revelers were huddled six-people deep.
Bales of hay formed a chute for the final torchbearer. Olympic sponsor displays lined the midway. Concession stands didn't offer cotton candy but sold a river of hot cocoa. Miss Montana was there.
And the evening's emcee in Western attire looked and sounded like the host of a livestock show. Turns out it was Billings Mayor Chuck Tooley.
Adding to the carnival-like atmosphere were street vendors hawking Olympic flags, Salt Lake 2002 hats and faux gold medals. One who identified himself as Liberty George from Cleveland was telling would-be buyers proceeds went to Olympic athletes.
"He's full of it," said Mark Walker, Salt Lake Organizing Committee spokesman.
The sales crews, which follows the SLOC caravan town to town, offers licensed merchandise but isn't authorized to sell on relay sites, Walker said. One salesman said relay workers used to hassle them but backed off when vendors retained an attorney.
Signs acknowledging the relay were all over town.
The marquee facing torch carriers at Hardee's read: "Welcome Olympic torch runners." Curiously, the one across the street at McDonald's, a major Olympic sponsor, read: "99 McFlurry."
On its 20-mile route through the city's snow-packed streets, the flame drew crowds of freezing spectators.
"It's called history," said Dorothy McGee, when asked what brought her out of the house.
Chuck Teigen traveled 600 miles from Rugby, N.D., to be part of history. The relay bypassed North Dakota.
Frost had formed on his moustache by the time his early evening torch "fast walk" ended on Highway 318 on a butte overlooking Billings.
Both of Teigen's hands were severed in a hay-cutting accident and later reattached. His right leg also was mangled.
Bundled tightly to fend off the biting chill, only his more sensitive right hand, he said, felt cold. "The adrenaline (from carrying the torch) keeps you warm."
E-mail: romboy@desnews.com