Town of Pahrump striving to host best Fall Festival ever

In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic holding the entire country in its grip, for the first time in decades the town of Pahrump missed out on what has become the largest and best known event of the yearly community calendar, the Fall Festival.

Town and county officials were all obviously disappointed in the need to cancel this beloved annual gathering but they promised that in 2021, to make up for the lack last year, the Pahrump Fall Festival would be the biggest and best the town has seen yet and preparations are already underway to ensure that promise will not go unanswered.

“This year is all about giving back to the community,” town of Pahrump executive assistant Alexandra Crow told the Pahrump Valley Times. “The Fall Festival is September 23 through 26 and we have a pretty busy four days planned. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be the big days and Sunday will be our Family Day. The theme is ‘Stars and Stripes’ and this year we will be thanking our first responders, especially after this COVID year.”

As detailed on the town’s tourism website, VisitPahrump.com, the Pahrump Fall Festival has deep roots in the community, going back more than 50 years to a time when it was dubbed the Harvest Festival, a simple gathering of a couple hundred residents to enjoy a rodeo, barbecue and to celebrate the harvest. Over the years, the event has continued to grow and nowadays, it attracts thousands upon thousands of not only locals but tourists from all around the country. It has also expanded into a four-day event filled with an incredible profusion of fun and activities and this year, town and county officials are working to add even more features to the Fall Festival.

As always, there will be a large carnival set up at Petrack Park, complete with rides for everyone from the very young to those seeking to get their hearts pounding with fast-paced spinning and whirling. There will be a midway full of games and chock full of prizes to be won as well as plenty of traditional carnival eats on which attendees will be able to feast.

The traditional rodeo will also take place, with the town’s tourism website detailing, “A highlight of the Fall Festival is the rodeo! The first festivals were made up solely of the rodeo and over the years the festival evolved into a four-day celebration where the rodeo is still at the center of it all.”

Both the rodeo and the carnival will come with costs, the tickets for which will begin to be sold at a later date, but the remainder of the event, including general admission and enjoyment of the entertainment and activities, will all be free to the public. As in past years, there will be an arts and crafts show inside the Bob Ruud Community Center, a parade marching down Highway 160 that Saturday, live performers taking to the stage all weekend long and a car show to excite the auto enthusiast in everyone. The town is planning to have competitions in the park, such as a pie contest and musical chairs, as well.

A couple of the new features for this year’s Fall Festival, which officials are obviously amped up about, will include a fireworks show and the addition of hot air balloons to the mix.

“We will have a hot air balloon presence. This is exciting as our goal this year is to invite the entire Pahrump community,” Crow enthused. “It will be Balloons Over Pahrump and yes, there will be tethered balloon rides and of course, a few balloons flying early around 6 a.m., weather permitting. And we are still working on adding more to the event. This year will be so much fun!”

There is one very important aspect of the Fall Festival that town and county officials cannot control, however, and that is community involvement. In order to make the Fall Festival 2021 the best that the town has ever experienced, residents need to join in on all of the fun, and not just by attending. The town needs plenty of parade entries, vendors, entertainers, car show participants, arts and crafts creators and sponsors to ensure this year’s event is just as amazing as everyone hopes it will be.

Vendor booths will cost $200 per space for regular vendors and $50 per space for nonprofit organizations wishing to take part. The cost covers all four days but vendors should not wait too long to get signed up, as there is a deadline. All vendor applications must be submitted no later than August 31.

Parade entries of all kinds are also needed and any local business, organization or individual who wants to show their town spirit is encouraged to register for the parade that will take place Saturday, Sept. 25. For those who want to participate in judged entries, the fee is $40. All non-judged entries will cost $30.

The parade will start its procession at 9 a.m. that Saturday, when, “…traffic comes to a stop on Highway 160 as the annual parade travels down the highway for about two miles with over 50 floats. Hundreds stand and cheer on the high school marching band and carnival of floats as they make their way down the town’s main highway,” the town’s tourism website reads. The route this year will take the parade from Oxbow Avenue to Dandelion Street. The deadline to enter the parade is Sept. 21 by 4:30 p.m.

Those with a skill for singing or any other form of entertainment are also encouraged to take part in this year’s Fall Festival. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Anyone willing to lend their talents to the event and those wanting to provide sponsorship are asked to reach out to Crow via email at acrow@pahrumpnv.org or by calling 775-727-2814 or 775-253-1697.

Application and entry forms for the parade, vendors, car show and arts and crafts show can be found online at www.visitpahrump.com or www.pahrumpnv.org

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com