The Board of County Commissioners granted a time variance July 2 to allow expedited review of a planned Harvest Festival on Duper Valley Road after a resident told the board she had contracts, vendors and nearly 1,000 expected attendees.

Bethany Stelzer told the board she and her husband host community farm gatherings and, for Labor Day weekend, had planned a larger Harvest Festival with speakers, vendors and an estimated crowd of “almost a thousand people attending.” She said she had consulted the fire marshal, the sheriff and the Oregon Department of Forestry and had contracted security and sanitation, and that planning staff advised her to request a variance because the event falls inside the county’s 140‑day window for mass‑gathering permits.

Planning director Daniel Doherty explained that the county’s standard process requires technical review and public comment and that a variance would permit the planning division to process the application on an expedited timeline while technical experts still review required plans such as parking and traffic control. Doherty said the sheriff had given a preliminary thumbs up and public-health review was pending.

Board action: A commissioner moved to allow a time variance for the Harvest Festival on Duper Valley Road and directed planning staff to process the application and return with recommendations; the motion passed unanimously.

Practical steps: Staff advised the resident to submit a completed mass‑gathering application and associated plans (traffic, parking, crowd control) as soon as possible so technical reviewers can provide comment. Planning staff identified the ordinance at issue (cited in the meeting as ordinance 24003) and said they would bring a packet with technical comment and recommendations to the board for formal action.

Public-safety note: The applicant said no alcohol, smoking or campfires would be permitted and that private security, sanitation and volunteer support were in place; the county emphasized that any variance only allows expedited processing and does not guarantee permit approval if technical requirements are not met.