TALK OF THE TOWN: What Pahrump is saying about the Fall Festival

Aliens and Cowboys: A fitting theme for the 58th Pahrump Fall Festival.

The four-day event ended Sunday in Petrack Park.

The weather was decent. The rodeo was reportedly a sold-out event.

And the town of Pahrump did a solid job organizing and promoting the event.

Pahrump Valley Times reader Jennifer Miers told us on social media that this year’s fest was “one of the best” — and many echoed her claims.

“Lots of people came out, huge parade,” Miers said. “Kudos to our schools for getting their kids into our parade this year.”

Dozens liked and shared the time-lapse video photojournalist John Clausen produced of the parade, which included more than 50 entries this year. (In case you missed it, we’ve posted Clausen’s parade video on our Facebook page. Check it out!)

You’ll notice there, that many posted feedback for how they’d improve Pahrump’s Fall Festival in the future.

Critics felt nickled-and-dimed

Many PVT readers said they were confused by event pricing, including what some called “nickel-and-dime” charges.

Admission to the festival was free, but carnival tickets and entry to the rodeo were not included.

Food and other extras were also sold separately. The price for festival offerings has been rising over the years, our readers noted, making it out of reach for those who can’t afford the price of the rides, food and other entertainment.

It was a challenge for some families to budget for a day out because they couldn’t calculate how much they’d spend in total at the event for multiple people.

Among the other feedback, Jeannie Cox-King commented that the parade needed some more marching bands.

Matthew Moore Vasquez told us that he’d like to see more local musicians and vendors at the festival — especially deep pit BBQ. Some mentioned the agricultural exhibits and food offerings seemed fewer this year too.

A handful said they skipped the event this year because it wasn’t a good value.

“Overpriced and not enough police for people who act ignorant,” Christine Basher told us.

You can read more of what festival-goers told us about the Pahrump Fall Festival on our Facebook page.

A listing of parade winners, as well as a report on how local crews rescued a few carnival-goers after their ride malfunctioned at this year’s festival appears on page A1 of today’s edition.

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