THE SPOKESMAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2021 P3
Supermoon total lunar
eclipse to be visible over
the Northwest this month
Changes
Continued from P1
In Washington, the state fair
is expected to return in Sep-
tember, though organizers
continue to take their cues on
reopening from Gov. Jay Inslee.
Idaho has not one but three
state fairs, all of which are
planning to welcome back visi-
tors with a full lineup of events
and entertainment.
Individual counties will de-
cide whether to hold county
fairs. Experts say most coun-
ties are planning fairs or have
already hosted them, but some
have been canceled. In De-
schutes County, a modified fair
and rodeo is likely to happen
this summer.
Oregon
As of Tuesday, the Oregon
State Fair in Salem is scheduled
for Aug. 27 through Sept. 6,
though an official announce-
ment will be made in June.
How exactly the event will
differ from past years, however,
remains to be seen.
“We are following the state
mandates and will augment
any plans based on the Oregon
Health Authority’s recommen-
dations,” said Kim Grewe-Pow-
ell, CEO of the Oregon State
Fair. “We are still assessing the
needs, and will follow the OHA
mandates.”
While light on specific de-
tails, Grewe-Powell said they
will increase cleaning and
sanitation practices at the fair
in 2021 and will follow other
mandates as OHA recom-
mends.
Attendance at the Oregon
State Fair has been more than
250,000 people in recent years.
The fair supports 883 jobs
statewide — including 627
jobs in Marion County — and
$15.6 million in wages, salary
and benefits.
“Like last year’s All Oregon
E-Fair, we are planning for
contingencies,” Grewe-Powell
said.
California
Cal Expo, home of the Cal-
ifornia State Fair, announced
May 5 the fairgrounds will re-
main a COVID-19 “vaccina-
tion super site” until at least the
end of September. That means
the state fair — originally set
for July — will be postponed.
Fair coordinators have not yet
picked a date.
Board members say the fair
will follow state safety guide-
lines and may be “slimmed
down.”
Despite changes, people say
they’re excited the fair will re-
sume after being canceled in
2020.
“There’s definitely a light
at the end of the tunnel,” said
Rick Pickering, CEO of Cal
Expo.
The pandemic was hard on
Cal Expo, which receives no
funding from the state, county
or city. In March 2020, Picker-
ing said, Cal Expo laid off 60%
of its employees.
The fair’s cancellation was
hard on other groups, too.
Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, state-
wide 4-H director, said Cali-
fornia saw a 40% drop in 4-H
enrollment by Feb. 2021, prob-
ably attributable in part to can-
celed fairs.
“We’re very excited fairs are
reopening in 2021,” she said.
Washington
The Washington State Fair
plans to welcome people back
Sept. 3-26.
Fair coordinators say they
are closely monitoring state
guidelines. Stacy Van Horne,
spokeswoman for Washing-
ton State Fair Events Center,
said every three weeks Gov.
Jay Inslee looks at the lat-
est COVID-19 statistics and
makes reopening decisions.
Pre-COVID, the Washing-
ton fair in Puyallup was ranked
among the 10 largest in the
U.S.
Jesse Taylor, executive direc-
tor of Washington FFA Foun-
dation, said he’s optimistic the
state fair will begin to “resem-
ble normalcy” again this fall.
A smaller annual event,
called the Washington State
Spring Fair, took place in April.
Attendees from FFA and other
groups said the event was fun,
profitable and safe.
In 2021, Taylor said he be-
lieves there will be a renewed
“thirst” for fairs and FFA pro-
grams.
4-H leaders also expect more
enrollment.
Nancy Deringer, Washing-
ton state 4-H program leader,
By Jamie Hale The Oregonian
A
Courtesy of Cal Expo
California State Fair pre-COVID. Though state fairs are returning, they
will be different, organizers say.
said she’s “definitely” seeing a
spike in 4-H enrollments this
spring.
“I think the kids are really
excited,” she said.
Idaho
Idaho is unique in that it
does not have one single state
fair but three state fairs di-
vided by region — the Western
Idaho Fair in Boise, Eastern
Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot
and North Idaho State Fair in
Coeur d’Alene.
All three events plan to re-
turn in 2021.
Bob Batista, director of Expo
Idaho and the Western Idaho
Fair, said he has already fin-
ished booking entertainment
for the 2021 fair, scheduled for
Aug. 20-29.
“We’re going to do every-
thing we can to make this as
safe and comfortable as we can,
to some degree,” Batista said.
In a normal year, Batista said
the fair brings in 250,000 peo-
ple over 10 days. To avoid over-
crowding, he said organizers
will spread out food and com-
mercial vendors around the
247-acre fairgrounds.
Certain events like the
pie-eating contest will also be
canceled to avoid close inter-
actions. Batista said he is not
anticipating any limits on ca-
pacity.
“My biggest concern this
year is going to be finding
enough help,” he said. “Em-
ployment is huge.”
The North Idaho State Fair,
held at the Kootenai County
Fairgrounds, is also scheduled
for Aug. 20-29. General Man-
ager Alexcia Jordan said they
are expanding from five to 10
days, in part to avoid larger
crowds.
Planning this year’s fair has
been difficult, Jordan said, as
circumstances surrounding
the pandemic change from day
to day. The event does have a
COVID-19 action plan, which
was designed to be fluid so
they can adapt when necessary.
For example, the action plan
limits seating capacity in the
grandstands to 50% for events
like the rodeo, demolition
derby and concerts. But Jordan
said she expects local restric-
tions will loosen further by
August.
“We’re very excited to bring
some sense of normalcy back
to our community,” she said.
“We’re just trying to make sure
it’s done well and safely.”
According to its website, the
Eastern Idaho State Fair will
be Sept. 3-11. A daily schedule
of events will be published in
June.
Last year’s state fairs in Idaho
were limited gatherings, ded-
icated solely to 4-H and FFA
shows and livestock sales.
Allen Taggart, 4-H extension
specialist for Ada County, said
the feeling was “eerie,” being in
the mostly empty fairgrounds
without friends and family.
Taggart said he is looking
forward to having state fairs
back in 2021, providing that
signature showcase for kids
and their projects.
“It’s all about building
those leadership skills and
those communication skills,”
he said.
lunar eclipse this
month will be a lit-
tle more special than
usual, occurring as the moon
makes one of its closest ap-
proaches to the Earth all year.
The supermoon total lunar
eclipse will take place in the
early morning hours of May
26, and most of the event will
be visible from the Pacific
Northwest, according to as-
tronomers.
A total lunar eclipse takes
place when the Earth lines up
directly between the sun and
the moon, with the Earth’s
shadow completely covering
the moon. During a lunar
eclipse the moon turns a vivid
shade of red — an effect of
refracted sunlight — before
darkening completely.
This year’s total lunar
eclipse will officially begin at
1:47 a.m. May 26 as viewed
from Bend, according to
Time and Date, with the to-
tal eclipse beginning around
4:18 a.m. Totality is expected
to last about 14 minutes be-
fore the shadow begins to
gradually fade.
Those watching the event
County Fair
Continued from P1
“I look at it as an opportu-
nity to give our citizens a cel-
ebration,” said board member
Arron Curtis. “It’s an oppor-
tunity to commit to our ven-
dor partners and give them an
opportunity to survive. Quite
frankly, it’s to bring back some
level of economic impact to
the county.”
Hinds told the board
Thursday it will be impossi-
ble to host a fair like previous
years, but he hopes to incor-
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin file
A supermoon begins its descent April 8, 2020, behind Mount Bache-
lor. This supermoon was the brightest and largest for all of 2020.
may notice the moon appear
to be slightly larger than nor-
mal. In fact, this will be the
closest a full moon will get
to the Earth all year, coming
within 222,023 miles of our
planet. A full moon that close
is often called a “supermoon,”
as it looks a little bigger and
brighter than normal.
Stargazers hoping to watch
the supermoon total lunar
eclipse this month will need
to first check the forecast to
make sure it will be visible
at all, as cloudy skies would
block it from view. If visible,
you’ll want to find a place
with a good, unobstructed
view of the sky and look for
the moon over the south to
southwest horizon.
There’s no need to use bin-
oculars or a telescope to see
the eclipse, but it could be a
fun way to watch the moon
up close as the Earth’s shadow
falls across it.
The eclipse will be visible
across most of the Western
U.S., though viewing will be
the best for Hawaii, the South
Pacific and Australia, accord-
ing to NASA.
porate traditional experiences
such as fair food, livestock
and music.
“It won’t look like any fair
we’ve ever done,” Hinds said.
“ It won’t be the same, but I
think it’s possible to do some-
thing that is certainly a modi-
fied version.”
Hinds said the board will
have to stay flexible as state
COVID-19 restrictions
change leading up to the fair,
which is scheduled to begin
July 28.
The number of people al-
lowed at the fairgrounds will
determine parking, ticketing
and how to lay out the event,
Hinds said.
The fair is usually the larg-
est county fair in the state,
drawing more than 290,000
each year. While it won’t have
all the same offerings, this
summer’s fair will still be an
enjoyable experience, Hinds
said.
“I think the community
is ready for entertainment,”
Hinds said. “The community
needs entertainment.”
e e
Reporter: 541-617-7820,
kspurr@bendbulletin.com
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