10
S moke S ignals
AUGUST 1, 2017
'It’s all hands on deck'
ECLIPSE continued
from front page
Only essential Tribal employ-
ees will be working on Monday,
Fullerton said, and the Health &
Wellness Center will not be taking
any appointments on that day.
One possible wrinkle that could
dramatically affect the Grand
Ronde area, Fullerton said, is if
the Oregon coast is fogged in on
eclipse morning, prompting an ex-
odus of eclipse aficionados inland
on Highway 18.
Oregon Department of Trans-
portation officials have identified
the stretch of Highway 18 between
Lincoln City and Grand Ronde as
a potential bottleneck during the
eclipse.
“Potentially everyone from the
coast could be moving this direc-
tion,” Fullerton said. “There is some
concerns with that.”
Grand Ronde Tribal Police De-
partment Lt. Tim Hernandez said
the Tribal police have canceled all
vacation for patrol officers and will
have at least two officers on duty
per shift Friday through Monday.
Friday, Aug. 18, also is the first
day of another Grand Ronde event
that attracts crowds – the annual
Contest Powwow.
“We will also have a floating shift
for a third officer depending on
when they are needed,” Hernandez
said. “We anticipate our biggest
problem to be traffic congestion for
this weekend.”
Since August is traditionally one
of the driest months of the year
and because of the crowds and fire
danger threat, the Tribal Reserva-
tion will be closed beginning 5 p.m.
“We are staffing like
it’s New Year’s Eve, which is
our largest night of the year.”
~ Spirit Mountain Casino Marketing
Director Shawna Ridgebear
Friday, Aug. 18, through Monday,
Aug. 21. Big Buck campground also
will be closed to campers starting
Friday and re-opening the following
Tuesday, fire season allowing.
Natural Resources Manager Mi-
chael Wilson said extra fire patrols
also will be out, monitoring the area
to identify any potential fire hazards.
Tribal Education Manager Leslie
Riggs canceled a trip by Tribal youth
to the Warm Springs Reservation
to participate in a NASA-sponsored
educational event regarding the
eclipse based on concerns about
traveling during the weekend.
Casino plans viewing party
Spirit Mountain Casino Market-
ing Director Shawna Ridgebear
said the casino will open its eclipse
viewing area at 7 a.m. Monday,
Aug. 21, in the parking lot in front
of PlayWorld.
There will be 500 free seats avail-
able to the general public on a
first-come, first-served basis and
100 invitation-only spots available
for VIPs.
“We do anticipate that filling up
rather quickly,” Ridgebear said
about the general public seating.
The casino will provide coffee and
a food truck for people to purchase
refreshments, free eclipse glasses
Ad created by George Valdez
and casino employees who have
undergone “eclipse training” at Ev-
ergreen Space Museum in McMin-
nville will be available to answer
questions about what to expect.
Ridgebear said Spirit Mountain
Lodge still had a “handful” of rooms
available in mid-July for Sunday,
Aug. 20, the evening before totality
and that the lodge was not gouging
people like some hotels and motels
have done in the path of totality.
Like any event, Ridgebear said
crowd estimates are “the great
unknown.” The casino may see
an extra 100 guests or an extra
1,000, but it is erring on the side
of a large turnout considering the
timing – it’s a weekend, the Contest
Powwow is occurring and Monday
is the eclipse.
“We are stocking up just like every-
body is with their own houses,” Ridge-
bear said. “Spirit Mountain is trying
to stock up and make sure we have
enough bottled water and enough food
to take care of everybody.”
The casino also is preparing to set
up its supply of emergency cots in
the Event Center for its employees
in case there are traffic congestion
problems on Highway 18.
“It’s all hands on deck,” she said.
“We are staffing like it’s New Year’s
Eve, which is our largest night of
the year.”
Ridgebear added that the casino
will suspend its buses to and from
Portland for that weekend to help
ease traffic, as well as ensure all
deliveries are done early.
Day helping to build plankhouse
RICKREALL – Grand Ronde Tribal Elder Don Day is working with
the Polk County Historical Society to build a replica cedar plankhouse
at the Polk County Museum in Rickreall.
The Polk County Board of Commissioners approved the project
in mid-July.
“This replica will be an outdoor display on the Polk County Museum
grounds,” wrote Ann Gage, the Polk County Historical Society edu-
cation coordinator in a letter to the commissioners. “It will be used
as an outdoor educational exhibit demonstrating primitive technol-
ogies, tools and methods by Don Day during its actual construction.”
Gage wrote that after its completion, the plankhouse will be a venue
for educational programs about the Kalapuya culture.
“Its presence and the recording of the construction process will
provide unique, historical documentation for the public,” Gage wrote.
From the Polk County Itemizer-Observer
Ad created by George Valdez