Solar Eclipse over shading Rexburg’s Summerfest
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REXBURG — Many in the Upper Valley look forward to celebrating with dancers from around the world every year, but plans for 2017’s Idaho International Summerfest have been postponed.
“We look forward to its return in 2018,” Rexburg Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Christopher Mann said. “We have not canceled Summerfest we have postponed it one year.”
Mann, who was hired as the new chamber CEO this week, said the decision was made prior to him starting on Wednesday.
“This was a decision reached by the committee as well as the executive board of the Chamber of Commerce. That decision had been made probably last week,” Mann said.
Man said he fully supports the board in its decision. He said there were multiple factors that lead to the decision, but the main reason this year is the highly anticipated Total Solar Eclipse on Aug 21.
“There’s never just one reason an event is postponed for a year. There’s determining factors that we had to work on as a chamber,” Mann said.
Mann said the eclipse event is expected to be very big, and he thinks resources would be limited while aiming to support both the eclipse and the Summerfest.
“We’re already going to be taxing our police and our roads and the different things so much in preparation for the eclipse that we’ve felt an additional use of them would be unfair,” Mann said. “I think the eclipse has eclipsed the dance festival this year.”
There were additional issues with some international teams securing visas as well. Mann said he is aiming to work with donors and sponsors who’ve fully supported the event to keep them on board for the return of Summerfest.
“We’ve been a premier top 10 festival in North American and we want it to be that way,” Mann said.
The Idaho International Summerfest was set for July 10 to 15, Mann said they are aiming to keep next years around the same time frame which would be July 9 to 14, 2018.