Downtown Chelan opens its doors to neighbors during smoky week

CHELAN — As wildfire smoke continues to blanket the Lake Chelan Valley, downtown Chelan businesses are opening their doors for something more than shopping.

Throughout the weekend, merchants are offering indoor activities, places to gather and family-friendly events designed to give residents a chance to get out of the smoke, connect with neighbors and spend time in clean, welcoming spaces.

The effort, coordinated by the Historic Downtown Chelan Association, culminates Saturday with the free Chelan Summer Social at Campbell's Resort, featuring live music, merchant booths, local artists, children's activities, prize drawings and food and beverages available for purchase.

"This is what we do for each other when times get hard," HDCA Executive Director Aimee Sheridan said. "These businesses aren't opening their doors because they expect a rush of shoppers, they're doing it because they are good neighbors, and neighbors show up for each other."

Sheridan said the idea grew out of conversations among downtown merchants about how to support residents who have spent much of the week indoors because of smoky conditions.

Among the participating businesses, Honeybee Chelan will host children's storytime Friday through Sunday, Chelan Toys & Sweets has set up coloring stations and indoor games, Marcela's Cocina Kitchen is offering arts and crafts upstairs, Culinary Apple will host free recipe demonstrations, and Lake Life and Wine Girl Wines will feature live music and space for visitors to relax. Layla's Bar + Kitchen has also set aside board games and cards for guests while adding a new air filtration system.

Saturday's Chelan Summer Social will also include complimentary KN95 masks for adults and children who would like one.

The activities represent one of the first public examples of HDCA's Economic Resilience and Disaster Readiness program in action. The initiative was created to help downtown merchants adapt to increasingly frequent wildfire smoke events while strengthening year-round connections with local residents through coordinated business support, community outreach and emergency preparedness.

Sheridan said the goal extends beyond helping businesses weather difficult weeks.

"We didn't have to think twice," Campbell's Resort owner Eric Campbell said of hosting Saturday's event. "When HDCA came to us about being part of this disaster readiness work, we were glad to contribute by hosting the Chelan Summer Social and supporting this effort that benefits the community."

In addition to the indoor gathering, HDCA's resilience program includes coordinated smoke-event messaging with the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce, digital marketing support for participating businesses, the "Love Where You Live" campaign encouraging residents to shop locally, and ChelanShops.com, an online directory connecting residents and visitors with downtown merchants.

Sheridan also thanked firefighters and first responders working to protect the Lake Chelan Valley during the ongoing wildfire season.

"What they do to protect our community is seen and appreciated," she said. "I'm not sure there are words to thank them enough."

For information about the Chelan Summer Social, visit www.historicchelan.org/chelansummersocial. Current downtown conditions and links to official wildfire resources are available at www.historicchelan.org.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media