Festival West of Vegas: A Glimpse Inside

Folks enjoy the rides at the Pahrump Fall Festival in Pahrump, Nevada on Sept. 21, 2024. The dry desert heat had broken by sundown. The amusement park rides swung fest-goers around. Families played carnival games — including one basketball challenge that advertised “cheating allowed.” Rodeo fans in the stands donned a mix of ball caps and cowboy hats, sneakers and work shoes and the occasional bedazzled belt buckle. All around, dust kicked up from the field where the festival was held, and smoke and the aroma of fried foods wafted from vendors’ stands. A team of Morning Edition journalists visited the festival as part of NPR’s “We, The Voters” series highlighting the states that could determine the 2024 presidential election. We checked out the fair and rodeo to talk to voters about what’s on their minds ahead of the election.