Ten Fun Fall Festivals Showcase the Spirit of Rural Cultures Outside Las Vegas (magazine feature By Rosie Dempsey)
Each autumn, small towns pulse with festivals meant to lure us out the door and up the road. In Southern Nevada, weekend getaways or day trips that refreshes the weary urbanite can be found near and far. The old-fashioned pleasures of small-town festivals abound: foraging among food vendors, shopping for arts and crafts, dancing in the embrace of a turquoise sky. There’s free entertainment and a carnival atmosphere up for grabs.
Modern-day versions evolved from ancient fairs and market days when a more agrarian society gathered to buy and sell goods, and street entertainers worked for tossed coins. In decades past, neighborhood affairs featured sack and barrel races, apple dunking or high school rodeos. Today, communities gather to celebrate their history and culture. Hometown festivals are testaments to the power of volunteerism, labors of love, often sponsored by nonprofits or chambers of commerce. They are reflective of civic health, boosterism at its best.
Equally appealing is the fact that most of our regional festivals offer a chance to submerge in a subculture, from air shows to ethnic heritage. And all are flavored to satisfy varied tastes. So now is your chance to escape the mega-arena syndrome and head to the hills, where small-town kicks await you. Here are 10 to choose from:
Everett Ruess Days, Oct. 5-6, Escalante, Utah. Climb onto the Colorado Plateau and skirt several national parks to arrive 293 miles later in a town whose population of 1,000 doubles during this annual festival. In four short years, the Escalante Canyons Art Festival has achieved a status not unlike its namesake. Ruess was only 20 when his artistically prolific life ended with his mysterious disappearance in the area in 1934. Popular books and national magazines helped turn him into a legend, a potent symbol of the spectacular wilderness that he captured in paintings created in plein air. He’s still celebrated in Europe as a folk icon who embodies a romantic engagement with nature. The making of art is central to the action at this festival named, in part, in his honor. Interactive workshops include tie-dying, flint knapping, nature writing and painting. Also featured are demonstrations of rug weaving, lathe turning and jewelry making, plus a walking tour; cowboy poets and their oratory urban counterpart—poetry slams. Evening speakers on pioneer architecture and other cultural topics offer a nuanced understanding of regional history. Add 10 hours of live music, a breakfast feast prepared by Boy Scouts and a dinner by the Lions Club, and voilà you have urban sensibilities meets pioneer town. The main events happen Friday and Saturday, but much precedes it, as artists five days beforehand to have their blank canvases officially stamped for the art competition and then head out into the plein air to paint pictures in the spirit of Everett Ruess. 435-826-4199, everettruessdays.org
49ers Encampment, Nov. 7-11, Death Valley. A much larger legend, the 1849 Gold Rush, is at the heart of this festival, which is more like a very public private-party that’s been running for 58 years. Insider status takes only $25 and offers a family of four the privilege to participate in Old West competitions that range from wheelbarrowing to gold panning, coyote howling to horseshoes. Entry to the Fiddler’s Stage and many special events require the cloisonné button of membership. Other old-fashioned kicks throughout the five-day/night event include a campfire sing-along, historic oratories, a hootenanny breakfast, daily yodeling and a gospel sing. The large procession of mule-drawn covered wagons and horse riders through Furnace Creek—coming in off a 100-mile trek—is not to be missed at 1 p.m. Friday. The valley floor fills with repeat attendees, including descendants of the original 49ers. 775-372-5552, deathvalley49ers.org
Old West Days, Nov. 2-4, Shoshone Village. On the southeastern edge of Death Valley, this fall festival fills the broad main street with live tunes, deep pit barbeque, talk of poetry and geology, hand-made crafts, and mock gun fights. Outdoor live performances start Saturday at 11 a.m., including favorite returning performers: renowned country poet Stoney Greywolf; Sun Country Cloggers; The Dancing Steps; and B.J. & the Silver Tappers. Saturday at 8 a.m. meet for a guided four-wheeling tour that caravans to old mine sites. Historic walking tours of this charming little town—book-ended by a museum and two restaurants—throughout. 760-852-4224, shoshonevillage.com
Pahrump’s Fall Festival, Oct. 4-7. Three special events and more than 100 vendors make this the biggest small-town festival on our list. Petrack Park will fill with free activities, from 4-H demonstrations to a main stage featuring live country western, rock ’n’ roll and an American Idol-like contest. A 9 a.m. Saturday parade shuts down Highway 160 into town. Elks serve breakfast and lunch. Country singer Darryl Worley will perform 7 p.m. on Oct. 4 ($15-$25). All weekend there are carnival rides ($17-$25) and three professional rodeo shows ($12; kids under 10 free with paying adult). 775-727-5107 (Ext. 303), pahrumpfallfestival.com
Southern Nevada Bluegrass Festival, Oct. 12-14, Logandale. This 18th annual shindig, 55 miles north, offers 27 hours of live music from eight bands as well as informal jams all over the campground into the night. More than three dozen musicians, haling from as far as Virginia and Colorado, fill the Clark County Fairground stage with toe-tapping sounds from 10 a.m. till 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and till 3 p.m. Sunday. “The Band Scramble” on Saturday afternoon randomly assigns musicians who then have a half-hour to practice a repertoire and go on stage to compete for ribbons. There’s food from carnival-style vendors, plus a dozen craft tables selling quilts, woodwork, instruments and jewelry. Day passes are $5-$15-based on age; camping included for $40. 655-6201 or 566-9372, snvbluegrass.com
Greater Mesquite Festival of the Arts, Oct. 19-20. A phoenix rising from a previous perennial event (a common small-town phenomena), this inaugural event is 85 miles northeast amid the lofty Virgin Mountains, and runs Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Partake in a medley of festival fare that includes arts-and-crafts displays, demonstrations of brush art, clay potting and ice sculpting by local chefs, a sidewalk chalk art contest, and live performances on two stages. In the “Taste of Mesquite” festival area, dine alfresco on signature dishes created by local culinary talent. A newly concocted drink, Second Wind—the result of a bartender competition—will be served in the beverage garden along with other spirits. Festival admission starts at a paltry $2. Park at any casino and hop the free shuttle to the Haflen Trailhead Park. 346-1338, gmaf.net
Albert’s Tarantella, Oct. 20-21, near Beatty. The ghost town of Rhyolite (115 miles north, off Route 374) will put you in the Halloween spirit, and this special occasion is an arty festival centered around an outdoor sculpture museum. The free part begins at noon Saturday with site-specific installations by Nevada artists on themes of spiritual death and resurrection. A $20 ticket will buy you an evening of live arts: a theatrical presentation of Jayme McGhan’s The Methuselah Tree by Las Vegas’ Cockroach Theatre; a modern dance performance by Las Vegas’ Threshold Dance Company; and a concert by LA’s Insect Surfers. Performances run 7-11 p.m. at the new Red Barn Art Center. Oh, we almost forgot to tell you about the name of this inaugural annual event: A tarantella is a macabre Italian dance, and Albert is Albert Szukalski, whose land and art—a life-size interpretation of “The Last Supper” set against the majestic Amargosa Valley—forms the basis of the permanent museum collection, which includes five enormous pieces by other internationally recognized artists. 870-9946, goldwellmuseum.org/events
Beatty Days, Oct. 26-28. The thoroughfare in Beatty—about 100 miles north—will be revved up during this eighth annual festival, whose displays feature model railroads, antique engines and motorcycles. You can also wind down with live bluegrass in Cottonwood Park or try the horse-drawn wagon rides for $2. The 10 a.m. Saturday parade stretches six blocks with 50-plus antique cars, an old tank, tractors and floats. Or sign up for the unique race in which a dozen teams of five costumed contestants push beds down the street at 12:30 p.m. At noon Sunday, you can enter your dressed-up pet in another parade. Nosh at the food pavilion or taste the entries in the Dutch oven cook-off (from chicken-and-dumplings to pineapple upside-down cake) for $2 or the regional chili cook-off for $3. The best chili maker will take home $1,400 and advance to the world competition. Speaking of serious business, don’t miss the Liars’ Contest for adults. You can also swallow a pancake breakfast courtesy of the Lions Club or witness reenactments of local historic events from the early 1900s. The festival runs to about 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. 775-553-2424, beattynevada.org
Harvest Time, Oct. 6, Alamo. The kids can paint faces on pumpkins at this traditional harvest festival at the town park amid this ranch heartland, which is 90 miles north on Route 93. Meanwhile local bakers compete in “A Slice of Heaven” pie contest, and you can also get fresh baked goods at the Bread Barn. A 7 a.m. 5K run is followed by kids’ activities at 10 a.m., including a chicken pick-up game. A DJ will spin tunes all afternoon while you wander the quilt and antique car displays, food booths, enter contests, play raffles and win T-shirts. Try your hand at skeet shooting at Windmill Ridge. The fire department hosts the 5 p.m. dinner. 775-725-3685 or LCHemail@yahoo.com
Smoky Valley Days, Sept. 28-30, near Carvers, Nevada. In the high-desert country 250 miles north, neighbors from miles around gather for a country fair as folksy as good ole’ Mayberry. Join the parade watching and the bleacher sitting for the rodeo roping and barrel races at this 7th annual festival. Check out the sheriff’s canine show and the Little Miss Smoky Valley Pageant. You might find yourself belly laughing at the kids’ Mutton Bustin’ or children’s chicken, rabbit and pig chasing events. Then pig out yourself at the bake sale. Local quilt makers will show you how they do it, and sell it to you, too. Walk home with a vial of microscopic gold for $1 after trying your hand at panning—results guaranteed by Round Mountain Goldmine. A Wild West night tops it all off. Fairgrounds on Rt. 376, at mile marker 55. 775-377-2830, bigsmokyvalley.com
from DESERT COMPANION MAGAZINE
2006 Sept./Oct issue (not archived online)
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