Columnist Susan Snyder: Celebration passes the smell test

Monday, Aug. 11, 2003 | 8:14 a.m.

Battle Mountain was a pretty nice place long before it was the pits.

It sits at the base of the Shoshone Mountains along Interstate 80 between Winnemucca and Elko -- one of those little towns people pass through on the way to someplace else.

The trip to Battle Mountain is a 564-mile drive for Las Vegas Valley residents if they stick to the main highways, U.S. 95 and Interstate 80. Picking up State Route 376 just east of Tonopah and then heading north on State Route 302 at Austin cuts the trip to 411 miles. But it's a long drive that just might be worth making this weekend, when Battle Mountain hosts its second annual Festival in the Pit. The three-day event that commences at 5 p.m. Friday celebrates the "armpit of America" moniker bestowed on Battle Mountain by Washington Post Magazine writer Gene Weingarten in 2001.

In the immediate aftermath of Weingarten's Dec. 2, 2001, article, outraged residents called for the firing of Battle Mountain Bugle newspaper editor Lorrie Baumann, who was quoted in the story.

But where many saw insult, others saw opportunity. Those paid to promote Battle Mountain figured the armpit title should stick, said Rogene Hill, director of the Lander County Convention and Tourism office.

"We just turned it around. We've been getting so much publicity over it, that we figured we might as well roll with it," Hill said Friday. "People have realized our economy isn't good. And this has been a big boost to our tourism."

The formerly mining-dependent town of 3,000 loses a few residents every year, Hill said. School enrollment is dwindling. Jobs are scarce. Newmont Mining bought Battle Mountain's closed gold mine. The hope is it soon will reopen, Hill said. But for now, the town depends on tourism.

A $10,000 grant from the Nevada Commission on Tourism last year paid for two billboards along I-80, touting Battle Mountain's armpit status. The one between Wells and Elko reads, "Voted the Armpit of America by the Washington Post. Make us your pitstop."

Hill says a Battle Mountain motel owner recently told her a couple who had planned to stay in Winnemucca drove the extra 55 miles to Battle Mountain, just because of the sign, which was shown last week on "60 Minutes II."

"So it's doing what we hoped it would do," she said.

The makers of Old Spice deodorant gave $103,000 for prizes and promotion of this year's event, which will be conducted in Elquist Park.

Friday's opening ceremonies will feature an armpit talent contest. Main events on Saturday include a bike-walk-run, an armpit beauty contest, a car show and deodorant tosses throughout the day.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, male contestants will don T-shirts soaked with water at the armpits and chest for the Old Spice Sweat T-Shirt contest. Sunday's events include a pancake breakfast followed by a day of team-roping, mine tours and horse-drawn wagon rides. Find details at battlemountain.org.

"I hope we attract a lot of people who are just curious," Hill said. "I think it's kind of different from any other festival."

With all that deodorant being tossed around, it might even smell better.