Crook County pre-eclipse festival plans for 30,000

For about a week this summer, the population of Crook County is expected to more than double.

The county originally expected 15,000 people to come for a week-long eclipse music festival in August, but that number is now expected to be around 30,000. That’s more than the average attendance at a Seattle Mariners baseball game.

A new permit request from Symbiosis: Oregon Eclipse took that increase into consideration in planning for the festival at Big Summit Prairie east of Prineville leading up to the eclipse on Aug. 21.

The prairie is a big plot of land in the middle of the Ochoco National Forest known for its flower fields. Most of it is privately owned — and the county sees this working to its advantage.

“That’s kind of a blessing for public lands,” Crook County Judge Seth Crawford said Monday. “By having these people in one area, they’re not everywhere in the public lands, and we have a better way to control what’s happening.”

Symbiosis specializes in large special events like this one. Its updated proposal will likely include plans for more temporary infrastructure, like portable toilets.

Preserving the environment is a priority for county leaders and forest officials.

“We’re just looking at the data,” Crawford said, “and kind of researching and making sure that everything’s going to be taken care of with waste (and) safety.”

And the proposal will also likely double the amount of security outlined in the original plan.

Crook County officials will meet about the event on April 19, and the revised application from Symbiosis will be available online by the end of next week.