'Get out of the way! The sheep are coming!'

REED POINT, Montana (AP) -- The warning comes over a loudspeaker: "Get out of the way! The sheep are coming!"

And with that, hundreds of sheep -- some white, some black, some white with black faces -- run down the main street, as thousands of onlookers whoop and clap while standing on wooden sidewalks.

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"It's like the running of the bulls in Spain, only a whole lot safer," said resident Connie Schlievert.

Well, not quite -- not even close. But the tame nature of this event hasn't stopped tourists from thousands of miles away from pouring into this tiny town to watch the woolly beasts trot down the street.

"It's just neat, something different," said Marj Foulon, who witnessed the sheep drive Sunday for the third year in the row. "They don't exactly have things like this in Washington, D.C."

It started out as a joke, a lighthearted spoof of 1989's Great Montana Centennial Cattle Drive, which celebrated Montana's statehood anniversary. But the sheep drive upstaged the cattle drive, attracting about 12,000 people, said Schlievert's husband Russ, an organizer of the original sheep drive who spent part of the day grilling sausages and roasting lamb.

Now, it's become a tourist attraction, and the people in Reed Point, about 60 miles west of Billings, take the event seriously.

In many ways, it's just like any small-town celebration, with a parade, candidates for public office, carnival games and dozens of food and craft vendors.

"But this is sheep country and we're trying to promote lamb," said Russ Schlievert.

Money generated by the sheep drive has been used by the community club to fix the roof at the fire hall, build an addition to the library and buy a limousine ride for high school basketball players after a good season.

"It's a real shot in the arm for the economy," said county commissioner Chuck Egan.

Organizers advise against running with the sheep. The animals spook, and have stopped cold in their tracks. But there's no chance of being gored at this festival, or having to dodge a barreling animal. The sheep trot in a calm, close formation, herded by a sheep farmer, and once they get to the end of their journey, they are rounded up and sent back to the farms.

About 6,000 people took part in Sunday's festivities.

"Any time you can get that many people into a town of 100, that's pretty good," said resident Jerry Friend.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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