A Century of Small-Town Fun: Ovid Turns 100 & We Bring the Party

1nonblonde
Aug 4
3 min read

June 2025: You know it's going to be a good weekend when you roll into town and the fire chief hands you the keys to a golf cart.

For the ninth and final time, KD & the Painkillers were back in Ovid, Colorado - this time to help the town celebrate its 100th birthday with a bang, a bass line, and (as always) a side of tacos. If you’ve never been to Ovid, picture a town so charming that even the tumbleweeds feel like locals. And they know how to throw a party.

Friday: Rolling in and Roaming Around

We pulled in early Friday afternoon and, thanks to Ovid’s generous hospitality, got to park our rig right next to the town park with access to 110 power. Not exactly enough to run a hot tub, but plenty to keep the fridge cold and the fans spinning.

The town's Volunteer Fire Chief, Calin (local legend and all-around good guy), let us borrow his personal golf cart for the weekend. VIP status? Affirmative. We zipped between the stage, the ballpark, and our camper like royalty on four wheels.

We also met a friendly retiree on a matching Lectric e-bike, which immediately bonded us in a secret society of pedal-powered adventurers. He’d recently moved back to Ovid to be closer to his daughter and offered to give us a personal bike tour. Who needs TripAdvisor when you’ve got Ovid’s own welcome committee?

Later, our dear friends Drake and Christy arrived, checking into Ovid’s version of a haunted Airbnb: the Sedgwick Antique Inn, just a short drive away in Sedgwick, CO. Housed in a historic old bank building, the “Haunted Hotel” offers:

Eyehook locks on the inside only
Shared bathrooms for the brave-hearted
Comfy beds with vintage quilts
And Lupe, the delightful host who probably knows the ghost by name

Drake entered the Over-50 Home Run Derby and came in 3rd place! Okay yes, there were only three competitors, but that still counts! We almost missed his moment of glory because Christy and I were back at the camper preparing taco night for the guys. Priorities, people.

Saturday: Festival Day & Main Street Mayhem

By morning, the rest of the band rolled in, and Main Street Ovid transformed into a vibrant festival scene. Vendors lined the road with everything from handmade spa items to doggy accessories, fresh honey to funky tumblers.

I finally met Calin’s wife, who I’d somehow never crossed paths with all these years. She was running a booth and selling her own Firehouse Honey (the woman is a beauty and a beekeeper - obviously a queen bee herself).

The Ovid Days celebration was a full-throttle small-town spectacular:

A Color Run to kick off the day (with many rainbow-hued sneakers)
Co-ed softball games that got way more competitive than expected
Classic kid games in the park
A parade that included fire trucks, tractors, and at least one candy cannon (Bonus…Mary O of the drumming O's, and I got to ride in a fire truck with the chief!)
A duck race that had everyone cheering for Number 7 (he had heart!)
A cornhole tournament with serious bragging rights
And, you guessed it, goat roping - because of course

Finally, it was showtime. KD & the Painkillers hit the stage to close out Ovid Days with our signature mix of classic rock, dance tunes, and just enough cowbell. The crowd brought their best energy, and it felt extra special knowing this would be our last performance at Ovid Days - at least as the headliners.

But don’t worry, Whiskey Dust, Drake’s new band, is waiting in the wings to take the torch. Same spirit, new sound, and hopefully no more haunted hotel rooms.

Sunday: Pack Up, Roll Out

After a whirlwind weekend, we packed up the rig and hit the road toward our next adventure in Loveland, CO - but not before waving goodbye to Ovid, its century of memories, and all the folks who make it feel like home every time we roll in.