Thousands Flock to Conejo Valley Days for Parade, Rodeo : Festival: Throngs brave heat to join the party, but the recession is blamed for lower-than-expected three-day turnout.

As soon as she turned the corner at the end of the Conejo Valley Days parade route Saturday morning, 8-year-old Jordyn Borczon let out a heartfelt moan.

“Mommmmmmy!” she howled. “My mouth feels like a dry Popsicle stick.”

Nearby, sweaty high school dancers peeled off the outside layers of their clingy green-and-white costumes.

“Next time, let’s have an air-conditioned indoor parade,” sophomore Georgina Cebrero suggested, to a chorus of cheers.

But despite their gripes about the unrelenting sun, devilishly hot even at the 9 a.m. step-off, most marchers said they had a blast waving to the crowd and showing off their talents.

By the end of the morning, their faces were flushed with excitement as well as sunburn.

“It was really a lot of fun to see so many people you know,” said Connie Troglia, captain of the Newbury Park High School Flag Team.

Those who didn’t want to acknowledge the cheers found their own diversions during lulls. Jason Kocol and Ed Lejeune rigged playing cards to the music stands on their tubas and went through several rounds of Go Fish as they marched with the Thousand Oaks High School band, sweating in their black wool pants and ornate hats.

The two-hour parade down a packed stretch of Thousand Oaks Boulevard kicked off a sticky day of revelry at the 37th annual Conejo Valley Days carnival. The festival wraps up today, with rodeos scheduled for 1 and 4 p.m. in the fairgrounds at Janss Road and the Moorpark Freeway and a barbecue from noon to 6 p.m.

Saturday’s early afternoon rodeo drew a full house, as spectators in straw hats and red bandannas packed the bleachers, cheering for the bucking horses, snorting bulls and often hapless cowboys.

Although crowds thronged the rodeo ring and jammed the carnival rides, overall attendance at the carnival has been lower than expected.

Through Friday night, ticket-takers had recorded 14,563 visitors--compared with 17,599 for the same three-day period last year and 18,084 in 1991, according to finance chairwoman Linda Graham.

The steamy weather may have boosted attendance on Saturday, she said, but perhaps not enough to reverse a two-year decline. Conejo Valley Days lost $25,000 last year, when only 22,528 people streamed through the gates. In 1991, 26,335 tickets were sold, Graham said.

“It’s the economy, no doubt about it,” Graham said. The cost of entry--$3 for adults, $2 for students and $1 for children--has remained constant over the past few years, but inflation has boosted prices for food, drinks and some rides.

“It used to be that teens would come Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but now they’re restricted by their budgets,” Graham said.

Still, those who did venture inside the 10-acre fairground on Saturday said they couldn’t imagine missing Conejo Valley Days.

“I look forward to it every year,” said Bob Olson, who has lived in Thousand Oaks for 30 years.

Keeping one eye on the ring where a cowboy was wrestling a bull to the dirt, Olson said he especially loved rodeos. “It’s one of the cleanest sports there is--it can’t be rigged,” he said. “They get dirty out there, but it’s good clean dirt.”

A handful of animal-rights activists protested the rodeo, sending letters about the “cruelties inherent within the sport” to the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Westlake Village Rotary Club.

“You have to hurt an animal to make it buck,” said Denise Ford, executive director of Animal Emancipation.

Aware of these concerns, many rodeo fans nonetheless said they enjoyed the spirit of the Old West and loved watching real cowboys test themselves one-on-one against rowdy animals.

“It’s rumored that there’s a lot of cruelty against the animals, but it’s very entertaining,” said Dawn Burns, 24. “There are a lot more cruel things in the world.”

The Winners

Some of the major prizes awarded at the Conejo Valley Days parade.

Best Use of Theme: Newbury Park Kindercare

Best Float Depicting Conejo Valley: State Farm Insurance

Grand Marshal Trophy for Originality: Thousand Oaks Kindercare

Best Use of Color: Thousand Oaks Bachelors and Bachelorettes

Outstanding Youth Group: Timber

Sweepstakes Trophy for Best Overall Float: Castle Hill Retirement Village

Best Overall Entry: Thousand Oaks Elks

Best Float for Special Effects: Castle Hill Retirement Village