By the time most Tahlequonians got to work Thursday morning, the majority of participants in the FreeWheel bicycle tour had already rolled out of town.

But some downtown merchants were left wondering, “When are they coming back?”

Jack Mullen and his wife, Andrea, own two restaurants in the downtown area – Sam ’n’ Ella’s and Ernie’s. Mullen was pretty happy with the turnout for the SpeedWheel bicycle races Wednesday evening, and he’d like to see more events like it.

“It was a great crowd,” said Mullen. “Everyone was patient and courteous, and they were great tippers. We need FreeWheel in town more often.”

Mullen pointed out the last time FreeWheel came to town, in 2001, Tahlequah was voted the “Favorite Host City” by participants.

“We were voted favorite stop for a good reason: We’re a great layover,” said Mullen. “That’s what I’m doing – laying over permanently.”

Wednesday was something of a historic day in Tahlequah – not because of FreeWheel or SpeedWheel (they’ve both been here before), but because, for the first time, spectators were allowed to drink beer in a city park.

Budweiser set up a beer tent in the new Norris Park, with a portable beer garden of sorts. Beer drinkers were supposed to stay within the confines of the fenced-off area around the tent, although not everyone seemed to be aware of that stipulation.

“Anybody on the sidewalk drinking a beer wasn’t doing so legally,” said Tahlequah Police Chief Steve Farmer. “We didn’t take anyone to jail or issue any citations, and the beer tent operated in an appropriate manner.”

Farmer said any future events that include a beer tent may require a bit more notice to participants about where exactly they can drink and where they can’t. But all in all, he said, the crowd was very well-behaved.

“I did go to the beer tent, and I stayed within the boundaries,” said Dave Rogers, owner of Paceline Cyclery. “I know some people escaped with beers from the beer tent, and there were some escapees from some local businesses, and people who had beer in coolers, but I don’t think there were any problems.”

Of course, Rogers may be a bit biased, since he does own a bicycle shop, but he was impressed that even with folks walking around drinking beer, legal or otherwise, the crowd gathered around the park for the bike races was not only well-behaved, but clean.

“I walked out after the races, and I found one beer bottle sitting upright in a gutter – one bottle, and that was it,” he said. “There wasn’t any trash thrown out on the street. Even with all those people out on the curb, there was no trash on the street. I give it two thumbs up.”

Vera Matthews, a FreeWheeler from Oklahoma City who moved on with the rest of the riders to Pryor, was charmed by the Tahlequah ambiance. She and her husband, Bud, rode down to the race area to watch, and while she didn’t have a beer (“It slows me down”), Bud did indulge in one.

“I’ve always liked Tahlequah, and I really think with a little work, you could create a sort of atmosphere like Bricktown,” she said, referring to OKC’s popular downtown venue – a collection of restaurants, clubs and shops built around a canal, like a pared-down version of San Antonio.

Justin McGuire spent most of the evening grilling burgers on the porch of the Iguana Cafée. Like Rogers, he was impressed that even with a few stray beer-drinkers milling around, the crowd was extremely polite.

“It was an awesome evening – it was at least as big as the crowd during the Christmas parade,” said McGuire. “Everybody had a real good time. The beer tent was a popular attraction, but then again, any beer tent would be, wouldn’t it?”