EASTERN OREGON TRADE & EVENTS CENTER
EOTEC
continued from Page C3
Traffic will be another trouble
spot. All fairgoers will enter and
exit on the two-lane access road
off of E. Airport Road. That’s cer-
tain to be packed after the evening
concerts, which can draw as many
as 5,000. Roads won’t be a prob-
lem in future years, Newman said.
An additional entrance, Ott Road,
is set to be paved this fall.
Newman is prepared for unex-
pected issues to arise, but said it
won’t be much of a change from
previous fairs.
“Sewer, water, electrical —
none of that met code,” New-
man said of the old grounds. A
power outage sent Newman and
the board scrambling during last
year’s concert.
The only things left undone
will be minor details, he said.
22 | Umatilla County Fair Guide 2017
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Umatilla County Fair Princess
JaNessa Prewitt, right, greets
visitors to the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center at an open
house earlier this year.
Weekend work parties formed
to handle many of those details,
like putting up shade covers,
painting fences and laying sod.
“When you have a fair and
rodeo that are on a growth trajec-
tory, every year needs more vol-
unteers. But this year brought new
tasks,” said board member Dan
Dorran. The community of Uma-
tilla County stepped up, and it
hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The fair board is “more than
humbled by the volunteers we get
and the effort they put in,” Dor-
ran said. “It’s one of those things
that brings tears to the eyes every
year. There’s no mechanism or
platform that’s adequate to thank
them.”
An additional work party,
sponsored by the Church of Jes-
sus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
was held July 29. All were invited
to join, Dorran said.
EOTEC, which cost $16 mil-
lion to construct, is expected to
generate $132,000 in revenue
from event bookings during the
2017-2018 fiscal year. Building
an event center in Hermiston has
been a decades-long dream and
undertaking. Construction began
in December 2014.
Since the opening of the main
building in May 2016, EOTEC
has been used for weddings, par-
ties and meetings, as well as big-
ger events such as a horse plow-
ing competition and professional
wrestling match.
The Umatilla County Fair and
Farm-City Pro Rodeo are each
paying $10,000 per year to lease
EOTEC. The fair’s lease agree-
ment includes year-round storage
space, an office and access to the
board room for board meetings.
The rodeo’s lease includes nam-
ing rights for the arena.
Newman said that despite the
promise of a better facility, some
were hesitant about the move.
“There’s a lot of memories
down there.” he explained.
Fair participants have always
appreciated the ease of tradition,
knowing where to go and what
to expect. “But everyone who has
come up (to see EOTEC) has said,
‘Oh this is going to be so much
nicer.’”