Five-year-old Evan Carl preferred the spaghetti at Dayton's Oodles of Noodles Cook-Off on Saturday.
Wrapping a balloon string around his neck and hopping in the gravel, he reflected on the rich flavor of the sauce - some of which still ringed his mouth.
"It tasted good," he said.
Sunny skies attracted larger numbers and more booths to the third-annual event, a major fund-raiser for the Dayton Chamber of Commerce.
"It doesn't look like as many people as last year, but that's because we're better organized," said volunteer Tom Buckert.
"The weather is so much better today than it was last year - that really helped," said his wife, Vivian.
"We ordered the nice weather special," said the chamber's executive director, Roxie Paine. "Last year it was cold and rainy."
Eleven teams created noodle recipes for the cookoff, competing for first-, second- and third-place, as well as the people's choice award.
The event featured more than noodles, however.
Clacking out a tap-shoe rhythm under the sun were 11 members of the Capital City Clogging Academy. Bystanders hooted as dancers in fringed T-shirts performed dances such as Witch Doctor and Hawaiian Roller Coaster.
Eight members of the Dayton Silver Squares square-dancing club performed next.
"We always have fun in Dayton," said club president Eileen Craven.
There were 91 booths along Logan Way and Pike Street in old-town Dayton.
Randy Hoit of Mound House and his sons Joe and Chris were offering miniature motorcycles for sale. Their company, Pocketbikes-R-Us, offers tiny Harley Davidson-type bikes as well as little crotch-rocket-style motorcycles.
"And we offer training wheels for the kids," said employee Daniel Petty.
Haley Anderton staffed a booth for Citizens for Affordable Homes, Inc. Her group is raising money to pay for window coverings not provided for under a Department of Agriculture loan. They will be breaking ground on homes for 12 families in Dayton on June 5.
James Fisher sat at a table showing off pictures of his new nightclub, NV 50. Located along the highway in Mound House. The establishment is scheduled to open in about two months, he said.
"We're looking for cooks, we're looking for prep people, we're looking for food servers, bartenders - basically everything," he said.
This year's Oodles of Noodles was a success, Paine said.
"I'm just thrilled. It's so great for the town."
She said the chamber is trying to preserve Dayton's comfortable feel through its current growth spurt.
"We still have that small-town American flavor. That's something we're trying very hard to keep."
Contact Karl Horeis at khoreis@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.
