The Saturday Market at the Village Green -- the last of the season -- drew large crowds to sample the wares of craft and food vendors and to enjoy live music entertainment, belly dancers and face painters.

There were rumors of grumpy weather in the offing, but they proved to be false as Sisters presented its sunniest face for all three days.

There was, however, the tang of Fall in the air.

Merchants seemed to turn a brisk trade as visitors opened their wallets in local shops-- despite worries about a slumping economy.

Economic woes, in fact, didn't seem to be keeping tourists away. The large number of visitors -- and cars on Sisters streets -- is consistent with regional and national statistics.

According to the Automobile Association of America (AAA) Labor Day auto travel was expected to be slightly up from a year ago.

Last year, an estimated 32.6 million travelers made trips of 50 miles or more from home during the holiday. This year, AAA forecast 33.2 million auto travelers.

Though gas prices took a jump heading into the weekend, they still remained some 15 cents lower on average than those of a year ago (see related story, page 11).

The heaviest auto travel was expected in the West.

Travelers who landed in Sisters had plenty to do and see, from the Saturday Market to Saturday night's Battle of the Bulls at the Sisters Rodeo Grounds.

Though the Labor Day Weekend marks an end to the summer's peak tourist season, Sisters still has plenty of action to tempt tourists into the area.

The Sisters Folk Festival will be held next weekend and the Sisters Harvest Faire is scheduled for the weekend of October 13-14.