People ask us a lot to move EISEF so it doesn’t collide with spring break at the local schools and colleges; many people have other plans then, so they can’t exhibit at the Fair or help us run it.
The short answer to this plea is, “Not really.” A longer answer is, “We can’t realistically move EISEF to a date that won’t fall during spring break.” Keep reading for the full details.
Dates and history
In eastern Iowa, spring break falls in the middle of March. Table 1 shows the actual or planned dates for the U of I, ISU, and 2 local public school districts.
EISEF has fallen on the 3rd Saturday of March since at least 1984, when we shortened the Fair to one day. Table 1 shows just how perfectly this date collides with spring break each year.
Table 1: EISEF dates vs. local spring breaks
| All dates are in March | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2nd Sat. | 3rd Sat.a | U of Ib | ISUc | Linn-Marc | IC schoolsc | Which weekend collides with EISEF? |
| 2019 | 9 | 16d | 17–24 | 18–22 | 18–22 | Start | |
| 2020 | 14d | 21e | 15–29 | 16–20 | 16–20 | End | |
| 2021 | 13d | 20e | None | None | 15–19 | End | |
| 2022 | 12d | 19e | 13–20 | 14–18 | End | ||
| 2023 | 11d | 18e | 12–19 | 13–17 | End | ||
| 2024 | 9d | 16e | 10–17 | 11–15 | 11–15 | 11–15 | Start & end |
| 2025 | 8 | 15e | 16–23 | 17–21 | 17–21 | 17–21 | End |
| 2026 | 14d | 21e | 15–22 | 16–20 | 16–20 | 16–20 | End |
| 2027 | 13d | 20e | 14–21 | 15–19 | End | ||
| 2028 | 11d | 18e | 12–19 | Start & end | |||
| a EISEF dates are 3rd Saturday in March | |||||||
| b U of I dates are Sunday-Saturday | |||||||
| c Dates are Monday-Friday | |||||||
| d Date falls at start of spring break | |||||||
| e Date falls at end of spring break | |||||||
As you can see, 5 years out of 6, EISEF’s traditional date falls on the final weekend of spring break; in the sixth year it falls on the first weekend of spring break. EISEF always collides with spring break.
Suggested alternative dates for EISEF
2nd Saturday in March
Table 1 shows that moving to this date doesn’t help much: 5 years in 6 it falls on spring break’s first weekend; only 1 year in 6 is collision-free.
1st Saturday in March or a Saturday in late February
Earlier Saturdays may not coincide with spring break; but they can be too early for our students to complete their projects and register them with us. We require them to register 3 weeks before the Fair Date: mid- to early-February with this imagined Fair Date. At that point, many students are still running their experiments and won’t be ready to register.
A later Saturday in March
This risks colliding with the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa (SSTFI) in Ames. Here are some fun facts about its date:
- The date varies, depending on when the Hilton Coliseum at ISU is available. It’s always in late March or early April.
- Several times, it has been the Thursday and Friday after EISEF.
- The date is always after the 3rd Saturday, so historically it doesn’t collide with EISEF.
- That’s
niceessential, because EISEF (the regional fair) needs to happen before SSTFI (the state fair). Many EISEF students go on to exhibit at SSTFI: if EISEF falls after SSTFI, most students will simply give us a miss.
Conclusion
We can’t think of an alternative date that works better for our students and volunteers than the 3rd Saturday in March.
Maybe you can think of one. If so, make your case to us:
- Estimate how many students and volunteers give EISEF a miss because of spring break.
- Research what events will compete with your proposed date.
- Estimate how many students and volunteers will give EISEF a miss on your proposed date.
with your supporting data.
Better yet, attend an EISEF Board meeting or two, share your proposal with us, and work with us to make it happen.