MARK SMITH / PVT Youngsters enjoy a kiddie-go-round in the midway Friday night. MORE PHOTOS Advertisement

Dwight Lilly had plenty of time to chat at the Pahrump Fall Festival while selling souvenir license plates, T-shirts and other memorabilia Saturday afternoon.

That's an anomaly.

Normally the festival grounds are packed after the end of the annual Fall Festival parade, and vendors don't usually have time to talk.

The economy was on the mind of many of the vendors interviewed this year.

When asked how business was, Lilly said, "Bad, I mean real bad. I mean when I say real bad, the sales were off yesterday 60 percent from last year. Opening night, 300 percent from last year.

"We travel all summer and it's been this way the whole year. You know every place we've gone into, it's been down 25, 50 percent. I think it's just reflective of the economy itself, what's going on down here."

Joanne Miller, whose engraved pet identification tags have been a regular item on the Fall Festival grounds for 20 years, said, "Certainly it is much quieter. Numbers are way down, which we assumed they would be. They don't have the booths like they used to have."

Miller pointed to a stretch of grass where another row of booths used to extend all the way down to the end.

"They cut the spaces. I guess they want to bring it back to being a smaller show or something, and then I also heard the economy's got something to do with it. People can't afford the gas, and then they hit us this year with insurance -- that we have to carry insurance for our booth," Miller said.

Most fairs include the cost of insurance in the rental, and fair promoters buy a blanket insurance policy, Miller said.

"In Pahrump you have to go out and buy it individually. It's very expensive and that scared a lot of the vendors off," she said.

Todd Keenan, manager of the carnival for Inland Empire Shows, looked at a group of people standing outside the trailer for the carnival office where there was a sign that advertised bargain tickets. An all-ride pass to the carnival this year was priced at $30.

"We added a dollar fuel surcharge to help cover the cost of fuel. Advance sales were up, that's why everybody's looking for a bargain," Keenan said.

Kennan, who is based in Missoula, Mont., and was headed to Phoenix, Ariz., after the Pahrump festival, said actually it's been a pretty good season so far. But he added that on the national circuit, "Everything was great up until August. After that the credit card just kind of caught everybody and the fuel."

Rodney Fazackerley, with Fazackerly Fudge, said optimistically, "It's like everything else. In times of economic hardship people will go to festivals because it's a way to make themselves feel good for a day."

Festival-goer Margie Nelson said there wasn't any promotion of the Pahrump Fall Festival by Las Vegas weather forecasters, who mentioned events like the Summerlin Art Festival.

"They're promoting other things in Vegas but not Pahrump's Fall Festival or rodeo," Nelson said.

She was nevertheless enjoying the festival Saturday.

"It's very nice, the weather's perfect, not too crowded and lots of local people out. I'm looking forward to seeing the craft section," Nelson said.

While it was cold last year, this year visitors baked in Indian summer heat, with a high temperature of 97 degrees Saturday and 96 degrees Sunday, accompanied by unusually high humidity averaging around 20 percent.

Cecilia Collier, of Diamond Bar, Calif. was fanning herself to stay cool while strolling around the vendor's arcade. But she offered some encouraging words anyway.

"We have a vacation home here. We're in both places," Collier said. "We love Pahrump. We do like it, can't wait to move here. It'll be our retirement home."

One of her companions, Michael Rubio, added, "Everybody is so friendly. The hospitality is phenomenal, and that's why we keep coming and bringing friends down here."

The more than 100 entries in the parade finished up at the parade grounds about 11 a.m. Saturday. The "Movie Madness" theme was fitting -- the Saddle West Hotel and Casino began showing movies in the banquet room over Labor Day weekend, the first movie theater in Pahrump in over seven years.

People riding in the Pahrump Nugget float were dressed in a "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme, promoting their new theaters, due to break ground soon.

Even the Pahrump Master Gardeners float proclaimed, "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes."

"I need a bag for all my candy," said Kalysta Lisk, 6, who had a stack of sweets piled up on the sidewalk.

Hayley Broughton, who returned to her home town of Pahrump after living in Phoenix, Ariz., had her children watching the parade.

"Oh, they love it, especially the animals, the horses," Broughton said.

Some entrants in the parade had miniature horses. Others, like 5th District Judge John Davis, rode a full-sized horse.

"I don't have to buy candy for Halloween this year," said Lori Metscher, watching the parade with her three children. But she thought the parade was shorter this year, especially considering that new businesses moved into town.

Corrections Corporation of America, which has plans to build a federal detention center in Pahrump, had a float in the parade.

Other parade entries included everything from Teamsters Local 639 to an entry proclaiming the "pursuit of happiness through Buddhism."

The Pahrump Valley Republican Women paraded along with a look-alike of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in the back of the float.