BAKER CITY — Shelly Cutler is optimistic that Miners Jubilee — in some form — can happen as planned July 17-19.

And the new organizer of the Baker City Bull and Bronc Riding events, which happen the same July weekend, also hopes to put on the popular rodeo competitions.

But Cutler, who is executive director of the Baker County Chamber of Commerce, which runs Miners Jubilee, said nothing is definite.

“I think that we can still do something safely,” Cutler said Tuesday. “If it’s not going to be a safe situation then we don’t do it. But I don’t want to make that decision in May.”

Jason Mattox, who runs the Challenge of Champions, a series of rodeos that announced this winter that it had added the Baker City Bull and Bronc riding events to its slate, said he is waiting to see what the Chamber decides regarding the Jubilee.

Traditionally the bronc riding happens on Friday evening during Jubilee weekend, with the bull riding scheduled for Saturday evening.

“We feed off each other,” Mattox said, referring to the Jubilee and the rodeo events. “We’re gung ho as long as they’re gung ho.”

Whether Jubilee can happen, and if so how the festival might be different due to the coronavirus pandemic, depends on the status of state restrictions in July, Cutler said.

Right now, with Baker County still in phase one of the state’s reopening plan, the event couldn’t happen.

Public gatherings are still limited to 25 people, a restriction that popular parts of Miners Jubilee, such as vendors in Geiser-Pollman Park and the downtown parade, obviously couldn’t meet.

Nor could the bull and bronc riding events comply with those requirements.

Baker County could potentially advance to phase two by June 5.

State officials haven’t announced limitations during that phase, as they wait to gauge the effects of the first phase, during which restrictions on restaurants and other businesses have been eased.

According to the Oregon Health Division, the tentative guidelines for phase two would allow public gatherings of up to 100 people with social distancing.

Cutler said the “best-case scenario” is that Baker County, after moving to phase two, would continue to have a small number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 (as of Friday the county has had a single confirmed case).

State officials haven’t released any specific guidelines for phase three, but Gov. Kate Brown said large gatherings aren’t possible until reliable treatment or a vaccine is available.

The state hasn’t defined a “large gathering,” but according to the Oregon Health Division these could include “concerts, conventions, festivals and live-audience sports.”

Even if state regulations by the third week of July would allow an event such as Miners Jubilee, Cutler said the Chamber would continue to emphasize the precautions that medical experts say have helped curb the spread of the virus — social distancing, wearing face masks and frequent hand-washing.

That would be easier at Geiser-Pollman Park than with the parade, Cutler said.

At the park the Chamber could increase space between vendors, which would help spread out visitors.

But the parade would be a greater challenge, Cutler said, because spectators tend to congregate in large groups on sidewalks.

“I’m not saying one way or another,” she said. “We’re definitely still considering it.”

Cutler said she understands that even if the Chamber can put on the Jubilee and comply with state restrictions, some people will be concerned about the potential to increase the risk of spreading the virus.

“We know that we have some community members who are concerned about people coming in from out of the area,” she said.

But Cutler said that concern will almost certainly be an issue when the first major event — whether that’s Jubilee or something else — takes place.

“I think if we’re thoughtful and proactive, there’s a way that we can make it happen,” she said. “We still have the ability to space booths out and do other things to try to mitigate the concerns.”

That could, for instance, include requiring all vendors to have hand sanitizer available.

Cutler said that because so many other events have already been canceled — including the Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally the weekend before Miners Jubilee, and the East-West Shrine All-Star Football Game on Aug. 1 — she thinks “it would be one of our best turnouts” if the Jubilee does happen.

Because the Chamber represents many businesses that have suffered considerably as a result of the pandemic over the past 2 1/2 months and depend heavily on summer events to carry them through the winter doldrums, Cutler said she believes the organization has an obligation, if it’s legally permissible, to have a Jubilee, even if it’s in limited form.

“It could be an amazing financial boost for so many businesses and lodging properties that need it,” Cutler said.

Bull and Bronc Riding/Haines Stampede Rodeo

Mattox, who lives in Roseburg, said he hopes the Baker City Bronc and Bull Riding events will be the first in the 2020 Challenge of Champions.

Mattox had an event scheduled for May 30 at Prineville but he had to postpone it until October. With the 25-person limit for public gatherings in place — Crook County, like Baker County, is in phase one — it’s not possible to put on the event, Mattox said.

“Our crew is 25 people,” he said.

The Haines Stampede Rodeo, set for July 3 and 4, is still being planned, although a final decision hasn’t been made.

“Big decisions the first half of June,” a post on the rodeo’s Facebook page stated.