Oregon

Southern Oregon prepares for flood of solar eclipse tourism

Published

1 year ago

September 19, 2023

Southern Oregon prepares for flood of solar eclipse tourism

It’s starting to feel like 2017 all over again.

Oregon is preparing for another solar eclipse, the annular “ring of fire’ eclipse on Oct. 14, with lodging booking up, festivals preparing to host thousands of people, and local officials fretting about worst case scenarios.

Unlike the total solar eclipse in 2017, when visitors were expected across Oregon, tourism officials are expecting crowds this year to be concentrated in one part of the state: Klamath County.

That’s due not only to the path of the eclipse, which will be visible for all Oregonians but at its best in a 90-mile-wide band across the southwest corner of the state, but also because of the probability for good weather. Jim Todd, space science director for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, said that although that band includes the south-central Oregon coast and the Willamette Valley, the Klamath Basin is expected to have the best chances of clear skies when the eclipse begins, just after 8 a.m. Oct. 14.

Depending on who you ask, crowd estimates in Klamath County range from 15,000 to 70,000 people, with most going to Crater Lake National Park, the city of Klamath Falls and Eclipse Fest, a multi-day festival just outside town. That could be a big deal for the rural county, which has an estimated population of 70,212 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

It’s left officials, emergency personnel and residents wondering not just how many people will arrive, but how to manage them all.

“This has the potential to be a really significant, once-in-a-lifetime event in our county,” Klamath County Commissioner Kelley Minty said. “At the end of the day, we don’t totally know what to expect.”

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is too far away to completely block out the sun, leaving a “ring of fire” in the sky.

Oregon solar eclipse 2017 — Eclipse watchers react as they see the sun near a total eclipse along with hundreds of others who gather on the side of an I-5 South onramp near the Santiam River Rest Area south of Salem, Monday, August 21, 2017.

Local tourism agencies have been trying to figure that out, tracking where crowds might go to witness the astronomical event. At the top of the list is Crater Lake National Park, which will be directly in the path of the eclipse. In June, Outside Magazine named the park one of the best places in the country to see the event.

Crater Lake Superintendent Craig Ackerman said he’s been feeling more trepidatious than excited for the eclipse, as the park tries to prepare for a surge of visitors at what is normally the end of its busy season.

“The park is available, it’s a public place and certainly the public is entitled to use it – that’s what it’s there for,” he said. “The real issue is that since it’s in October, many of our available personnel resources will be gone for the season.”

Park campgrounds will already be closed for the season, as will many other amenities. Crater Lake Lodge, which will stay open through Oct. 15, has long been booked up. One visitor center should be open, Ackerman said, and the park hopes to keep the sole gas pump open as well.

Rim Drive, the scenic road that circumnavigates the lake, is expected to be open, though it could close if snow, which usually begins by the end of October, arrives early. If the road is open, the second entrance station on the north side of the park will be open as well. However, the National Park Service warned that lines of traffic to get into the park could still reach up to two hours long.

“The issue that I have most concern about is disappointing people because they will run into a bottleneck getting into the park at either end,” Ackerman said.

Just outside the park, on a 175-acre parcel of private land, organizers are working to set up Eclipse Fest, a multi-day event with camping, food, vendors and a concert by ‘90s pop-rock band Smash Mouth. The event is run by Impressions Design & Marketing, a Klamath Falls company that has previously put on multi-day Ninja Warrior events. Sara Irvine, owner of Impressions, said Eclipse Fest is on track to host an estimated 5,000 people.

Aside from hammering out the logistics for an event of that size, Irvine said she’s been focused on a pair of last-minute hiccups: securing final permitting from Klamath County, and informing people that Smash Mouth is still playing despite the recent death of former front man Steve Harwell, who left the band in 2021.

The permitting issue will be settled following a Sept. 20 public hearing, though Irvine said she wasn’t concerned that it would derail the event. Her understanding is that the hearing is meant to give voice to worried neighbors, she said, whom she is open to working with.

“It’s not like the event is not going to happen,” Irvine said. “We just need to go and be good listeners and make good accommodations.”

Minty declined to offer predictions about how her fellow county commissioners would vote, but said she would like to see everything go smoothly. “My deep hope is that we can permit this event,” she said.

Crater Lake sunrise — The sun rises over Crater Lake National Park, seen from a viewpoint near Rim Village.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Total Solar Eclipse 2017 — A group of friends from Richland, Washington and Boulder, Colorado, pose at their campsite at Solarfest, a campout and festival for the 2017 total solar eclipse at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Madras.

Eclipse Fest is not the only big event taking place in Klamath County. Another, Eclipse Into Nature, will be hosted at Running Y Resort in Klamath Falls, where organizers expect between 1,200 and 2,500 people for an eclipse watch party, and up to 120 people for a ticketed event the night before.

Jason Murray, general manager of Running Y Resort, said Eclipse Into Nature will be focused on education, with a NASA livestream and representatives on hand from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry as well as the Oregon Institute of Technology. With live music, food vendors and games, it also promises to be a lively, family-friendly affair.

As each of the three destinations prepares to play host to crowds of people, local emergency officials are coming together to share resources and information, preparing for the worst.

A Multi-Agency Coordination Group, comprised of more than a dozen local, state, federal and tribal agencies in Klamath County, is honing its game plan for the big event. Minty, who is a member of the group, said the primary concerns are emergency services, traffic jams, and the question of where people will go to watch the eclipse. There’s also the unknowable factors: weather, human behavior and how many people will actually make the trek out to Klamath County on Oct. 14.

“We are anticipating upwards of 60,000 to 70,000 people coming through our community or spending time in our community,” Minty said. “We’re preparing for the maximum people and the maximum amount of effort we need to put in.”

It echoes the worst-case-scenario planning for the 2017 eclipse, when state officials estimated 1 million people would come to Oregon. While many places did see big crowds, the anticipated traffic jams and swarms of people never materialized. Many small town businesses that had anticipated a windfall were left frustrated.

It’s worth noting that, unlike a total solar eclipse, the only benefit to being in the center path of an annular solar eclipse is to experience the so-called “ring of fire” when the moon is positioned perfectly in front of the sun. The sun’s atmosphere, or corona, will not be visible this time around. It also means everybody viewing the eclipse needs to wear special glasses the entire time to protect their vision.

Many of those preparing in Klamath County have said they’ve looked to 2017 as a road map for 2023, but that’s led to a large discrepancy in crowd estimates.

Local tourism agency Discover Klamath said it expects 15,000 to 20,000 people for the eclipse, less than a third of what the county estimates. But even that would be a lot. Virtually all local lodging is expected to be booked up by the start of October, the agency said in an email, leaving any spillover crowds to either camp at Eclipse Fest or find someplace nearby.

Bob Hackett, executive director of Travel Southern Oregon, said a lot hinges on making sure people have good places to watch the eclipse and stay the night. The fear is that people might trespass on private land, clog up rural areas or get in trouble exploring some of the more rustic environments.

Those potential problems are viewed not only as safety issues but marketing problems. This, after all, is a big opportunity for Klamath County to advertise itself as a Pacific Northwest travel destination – eclipse or not.

“The worst-case scenario would be if people got frustrated,” Hackett said. “We just don’t want people to be disappointed or not have a good time here.”

Events stacking up for October eclipse across Oregon

Annular solar eclipse will bring a ‘ring of fire’ to the sky

Astronomical events calendar 2023

— Jamie Hale

503-294-4077; jhale@oregonian.com; @HaleJamesB

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Oregon

5-Star Defensive Lineman Visiting Oregon Ducks for Ohio State Buckeyes Matchup

Published

7 hours ago

October 5, 2024

Press Room

5-Star Defensive Lineman Visiting Oregon Ducks for Ohio State Buckeyes Matchup

Consensus five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart is visiting the No. 6 Oregon Ducks on Oct. 12 as the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes come to Autzen Stadium. On Oct. 5, Stewart announced he will be reclassifying from the class of 2026 to the class of 2025.

Consensus five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart is visiting the No. 6 Oregon Ducks on Oct. 12 for the top-10 matchup with the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes On Oct. 5, Stewart announced he will be reclassifying from the class of 2026 to the class of 2025.

One week after revealing his plans to graduate a year early, Stewart will be in Autzen as the Buckeyes take on the Ducks.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Ohio State coach Ryan Day both have undefeated teams with College Football Playoff aspirations, but the recruiting never ends. Stewart projects as a player who can make an immediate impact.

Jahkeem Stewart under the Friday night lights. / Jahkeem Stewart / Instagram

After his visit to Eugene on Oct. 12, Stewart has plans to visit LSU on Nov. 9, USC on No. 16, and Ohio State on Nov. 30. Typically, the team with the last visit

The early signing period begins on Dec. 4, giving Day and the Buckeyes the last chance to make an impression on Stewart. That being said, LSU and USC have both been considered favorites throughout Stewart’s recruitment.

🚨NEWS🚨 5-star DL Jahkeem Stewart has reclassified to the 2025 cycle, per @SWiltfong_‼️
Read: https://t.co/ZTuincsC7N pic.twitter.com/bPD8QrNm37
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) October 5, 2024

Stewart was already high-profile recruit, and he is now the No. 3 defensive lineman recruit in 2025 according to the 247Sports Composite.

247Sports Scouting Analyst Gabe Brooks thinks highly of Stewart, writing about the elite defensive lineman’s athleticism.

“Reportedly highly productive sophomore campaign with 85 tackles, 33 TFL, 20 sacks. Still developing pass-rush repertoire but has shown encouraging technical awareness,” said Brooks. “Elite young defensive line prospect given outstanding physical tools and promising movement ability who could become a serious NFL Draft candidate down the road.”

MORE: Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning: ‘Tough’ Dillon Gabriel Injury Update After Michigan State

MORE: Will ESPN College GameDay Visit Eugene for Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State?

MORE: Oregon Ducks Secure Recruiting Visit With Son of Former NFL Star

MORE: USC Trojans’ Bear Alexander Interested in Transfer To Oregon Ducks?

MORE: Oregon Ducks Recruiting Pushing To Flip USC Trojans Four-Star Commit

MORE: Largest College Football Stadiums: Ranking Oregon Ducks In Big Ten Conference

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Oregon

Friday’s win allows Oregon football to look ahead to matchup with Ohio State

Published

15 hours ago

October 5, 2024

Press Room

Friday’s win allows Oregon football to look ahead to matchup with Ohio State

Oregon is undefeated, coming off its third straight convincing win and despite some unremarkable plays in recent weeks, is starting to look more and more like a team that should to be favored to land a spot in the College Football Playoff in December.

Now comes the most anticipated game of the regular season.

Bring on the Buckeyes.

The No. 6 Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will play No. 3 Ohio State – which is 4-0 heading into its game Saturday against Iowa – at 4:30 p.m. next Saturday in Autzen Stadium, a game between the two highest ranked teams in the conference.

“I think it’ll be a great challenge and a great opportunity for us in front of our home crowd,” quarterback Dillon Gabriel said after Oregon defeated Michigan State 31-10 Friday in Autzen Stadium. “You dream for moments like these and games like this and I think everyone’s excited for it.”

Despite this mid-October gem on its schedule, coach Dan Lanning said his team hasn’t looked ahead to Ohio State while it opened the season with wins against Idaho, Boise State, Oregon State, UCLA and now the Spartans.

“They’ve done a really good job of not listening to you guys, right?” Lanning said to media members Friday night. “But finally, you guys can talk about it. We’re finally there. We’re going to play them now. A great team. … There’s a reason why they’re one of the best teams in the country. It’s going to be a great challenge for us, and our fans are gonna have to show up.”

Lanning said the team would turn its focus to the Buckeyes at midnight on Friday. That wasn’t soon enough for wide receiver Tez Johnson.

“Right now,” Johnson said. “We turn the page right now. Obviously, it’s a big game … we’ll got out here and practice physical knowing that they got some really good players. But so do we. It’s going to be a really good matchup.”

Heading into their game against the Hawkeyes, the Buckeyes are the most prolific team in conference. With former Oregon coach Chip Kelly in his first season as offensive coordinator, Ohio State is ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten in scoring (48.8 points) and yards (534.8) per game, and No. 2 in passing yards (307.8) and No. 4 in rushing yards (227.0) per game.

They’ve also allowed the fewest points per game (6.8) for a No. 1 point differential of 42.0.

“I played Ohio State two years,” said defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, a Michigan State transfer. “I know what they bring. We just have to compete that game. That’s a game we’re gonna have to compete. Everybody run to the ball, everybody in the right gaps, everybody playing for each other. That’s what we gotta do.”

In 2021, the Ducks upset the Buckeyes in Columbus, 35-28, the only victory for Oregon in 10 games against Ohio State. The two games prior were a 42-20 loss in the 2015 national championship game and a 26-17 defeat in the 2010 Rose Bowl.

“We’re two great programs that have been known for playing good football,” Gabriel said. “The things you look to as a young man playing the game is big-time moments and great atmospheres. So, super excited for it.”

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him on X @chansen_RG or by email at chansen@registerguard.com.

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Oregon

Live updates: Michigan State trails Oregon 31-7 in fourth quarter

Published

23 hours ago

October 5, 2024

Press Room

Live updates: Michigan State trails Oregon 31-7 in fourth quarter

MSU closes gap in waning seconds

A nice drive by Tommy Schuster puts points on the board for the Spartans. 31-10 looks like the final with 25 seconds to play. I’m sure there many out there that were more interested in that field goal than others.

Defense gets a stop, Chiles’ day is done

Tommy Schuster enters for the Spartans with six minutes and change remaining. Looks like the rest of the starting crew is still out there.

Touchdown, MSU!

In year one of a new coaching staff, and against teams that are probably in a different weight class, little things like getting on the scoreboard matter. A 75-yard drive ended with a Kay’ron-Lynch Adams one yard scoring run, and it’s 31-7 late. Chiles found a few receivers, including two first downs to Jack Velling, and a 35-yard strike to Montorie Foster. 8:27 remains to close the gap further.

Score blown open after long Oregon TD drive

After holding the ball for over eight minutes, the Ducks hit paydirt on fourth and goal from the two. For the second week in a row, there are just too many weapons for Michigan State to keep up with. 31-0 Oregon is your score now.

Fourth quarter looms with Oregon in control

Oregon has really slowed the pace and is taking a bunch of time off the clock while moving the ball. The Ducks are threatening again, as the end of the third quarter arrives. MSU’s defense needs the breather, they are getting leaned on right now. Let’s see if they can keep the end zone clean.

Ducks add field goal, 24-0 score

Well, it could be worse. A promising Oregon drive stalled out, and it was a nice job by Michigan State to force a 50-yard field goal, especially with an iffy Ducks kicking game. The attempt was good, and now Michigan State takes over on offense, still trying to put some points on the board.

Oregon takes over after empty possession

Michigan State’s offensive line is breaking down, and Chiles is doing his best to scramble around. Oregon’s defensive line is a handful for anyone. Jaron Glover had an opportunity to haul in a big play inside the red zone, but had the ball punched out at the last second. Still 21-0 early third quarter.

Lead extends to 21-0 going into half

That’s huge. Oregon marches right down the field, eats up the rest of the clock, and scores a touchdown. Gabriel throws his 135th TD pass and now the Spartans have dug quite a first half hole against a top 10 team for the second week in a row.

MSU gives ball back at two minute timeout

A few sacks derailed a drive that started off strong. Michigan State will get the ball to begin the second half, so this upcoming drive for the defense will be crucial to get a stop.

Ducks punch one in to go up 14-0

It is becoming clear that there isn’t much Spartan resistance for the Oregon ground game tonight. Oregon back Jordan James is up to 133 rushing yards on 14 carries, with the team up to 174. There is still 5:26 left in the half. Offense needs to put some points up quick.

Second quarter starts another turnover

Plot twist, this was NOT another Michigan State turnover. Charles Brantley is on an interception hot streak, and he just got the second red zone pick of the night for the Spartans. In a game with three drives that got inside the five, it is 7-0 Oregon with 11:17 left in the first half.

Gabriel runs in late first quarter score

The Ducks have gotten to at least the one-yard line in their last two drives, but no turnover this time. A couple big plays were capped off by a nine-yard touchdown run by Gabriel, and it’s 7-0 Oregon. End of the first quarter in Eugene.

Three-and-out for MSU, Ducks takeover

Nice decision from Chiles to not force anything on a third and a million. A nice punt from Ryan Eckley and another play by Spencer flips the field.

Oregon returns the favor; Spartans pick off Dillon Gabriel

Call it even! Fresh off of forcing a turnover at their own one yard-line, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws an interception at the Spartan one. Malik Spencer made a very athletic diving catch to secure the pick, and Michigan State takes over after the touchback.

Chiles fumble at the 1 squanders golden scoring chance

This is getting ridiculous. Yet another drive where Michigan State marches the ball right down the field ends with a turnover. This one is an Aidan Chiles fumble as he was reaching into the end zone. The most frustrating thing for Spartan fans is how good Chiles also looks. Multiple great throws, including a deep bomb to Nick Marsh that set the Spartans up at the two, set up the scoring chance. But one step forward has been followed by a step back too many times so far to hang with the big boy teams.

Hello Defense!

Michigan State won the toss and gave the Ducks the ball. That turned out to be a good choice. The Spartans force a three and out and the offense has an early chance to punch ahead.

Let’s get this party started

Nice surprise on this late-night for Michiganders. Tigers’ announcer Jason Benetti is on the call in Eugene for Fox. 3-2 Spartans and 4-0 Ducks on deck.

The Spartans continue the meat of their schedule with a trip across the country to face unbeaten and No. 6-ranked Oregon on the national stage.

Coming off a 38-7 home loss to Ohio State, Michigan State faces another top-10 team, but this time it’s on the road. The Spartans moved the ball well against the Buckeyes, and did not look physically outmatched for most of the night, but costly turnovers and mistakes proved too much to keep up with Ohio State.

Those mistakes will need to be limited, as the Spartans head into one of the most hostile environments in the country. However, Oregon has let opponents hang around in home games so far. The Ducks needed a late score to put away FCS Idaho in Week 1 and only beat Boise State out of the Mountain West by a 37-34 score. Oregon is coming off a pair of dominant road performances the last two weeks, with a 49-14 rout at Oregon State and 34-13 win at UCLA.

Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Griffin Beers.