Annual Helldorado Days event draws thousands to downtown

By Erin Dostal

Sunday, May 16, 2010 | 10:15 p.m.

Thousands of people attended Helldorado Days this past weekend to munch on cotton candy, ride the Ferris wheel, see the rodeo and celebrate Las Vegas’ Wild West history.

This year’s event, hosted by the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks Lodge No. 1468, ended Sunday in downtown Las Vegas. About 4,000 people attended the event’s annual parade Saturday night.

On all four days of the event, the carnival, which featured rides and food, opened at 5 p.m. Sunday night’s rodeo, which cost $15, started at 7 p.m.

Nekesta Shelton, 37, of Las Vegas, attended the festival with her 5-year-old daughter, McKenzie. McKenzie, who was jumping and cheering after going down a giant slide, said she was most excited to ride more rides that night.

“I’ve been coming to the Helldorado festival since I was her age,” Shelton said, gesturing toward her daughter.

Shelton said she thought the festival was smaller than when she was a little girl, but it was fun to take her daughter.

“It’s a little slower than last year,” said Derby Cox, of Pahrump, who was operating the Sizzler ride at the festival.

Eva Schiappa-Pal, owner of A Girls Glitter, a jewelry company that was a vendor at the event, said business had been slow. During the four-day event she had about 30 customers, she said.

Schiappa-Pal said she thought the economy was mostly to blame for the slow business.

Mike Wilke, 51, of Las Vegas, attended Helldorado Days with his wife, Diane Wilke, 51. Although the couple has lived in Las Vegas for years, it was the first time they had attended the event.

“It’s been fun watching the kids having so much fun, because that’s what it was like when you were a kid,” Mike Wilke said. “You reminisce.”

The Wilkes, who are grandparents, said they wandered over to the festival during their “staycation” at the Plaza hotel, where they were staying for eight days to get away from home for a bit.

“It’s much cheaper just to stay here,” Mike Wilke said, adding that his favorite part of Helldorado Days was the food.

“What’s a fair without a funnel cake?” he asked.

Although many patrons said they thought the festival had lower attendance than other years, Howard Basch, a volunteer for the event, said he was happy with Saturday night’s attendance. Basch said he thought greater community involvement would help the festival to grow in the future.

“We were still selling tickets at 11:30 p.m. (Saturday),” he said.

Basch said when he was a kid, the event was much larger than it is today. But, he said, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a success.

“I think people got a feel for it last year,” he said. “This year they’re coming out of the woodwork.”