Fall Fest parade sign up period open through Sept. 18

As the Fall Festival quickly approaches, a call to those who are interested in strutting their stuff down Highway 160 in the event's annual parade is going out.

Taking place Saturday, Sept. 26, beginning at 9 a.m., the parade's theme this year is "The Good Ol' Days." Participant setup begins at 7 a.m.

Entries are being accepted now until Sept. 18 and will cost $30 for a non-judged entry and $40 for a judged entry. There are five categories in which the judged entries can enter. There is the people's choice, grand marshall's choice, best theme, best out of town and best in show.

Interested parties can stop by the chamber and pick up a registration form or speak with a representative for any info needed. If you're crunched for time, you can also download a registration form by visiting the chamber's website at www.pharumpchamber.com.

This year the trophies aren't the only prize given out to the winner of each event. There is another added benefit to those who win.

"This year we also started a trophy sponsorship," said Pahrump Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Salli Kerr. "So far we have three out of the five trophies currently sponsored by a business. They're coming with a basket of goodies in addition to the trophy."

The three sponsors so far are Glen Lerner, United Blood Services and Desert View Hospital.

Kerr said that interested businesses that want to sponsor one of the two remaining trophies can contact the chamber to pick up an application.

"Doing so is a great way to get involved with the festival and not having to put in a float," she said. "It offers a business that doesn't have the manpower to build a float a way to be included in the parade and get some coverage for sponsoring a trophy."

If you aren't in the building spirit, you can still show your support for the event by showing up and watching the proceedings from the side of the street. Highway 160 closes around 8:30 a.m., so spectators need to arrive early to make sure they can get in and find a spot along the route.

"People line the street for this parade," Kerr said. "Come early, sit, bring your kids, really come to cheer those people that took that time to do this, because it's not a small endeavor to build a float. These are the folks that have been up to midnight three days in a row putting the last touches on their floats.

"We really want the community to come out."

The Star Spangled Banner is sung before the parade takes off and there is a search going on to find the lucky person that will sing the patriotic tune.

The chamber is holding auditions now and an interested singer can bring in a CD with their version of the song, or via their preferred process. People can also enter on YouTube, which Kerr hopes is the preferred method of entry.

"I hope that we can start seeing some on YouTube so start posting them to Facebook for everyone to see," she said. "That would be fantastic."

The chamber is also looking for volunteers to sell tickets to the rodeo and carnival ahead of the event that runs Sept. 24 through Sept. 27.

"We can definitely use some bodies to do that," Kerr said. "The sales for that will be picking up really soon, so any help we can get on that would be fantastic."

For info on joining the parade, sponsoring a trophy, auditioning for the Star Spangled Banner or becoming a volunteer call the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce at 775-727-5800.