Chelan County Government

09/02/2026

“Today is a day of remembering. Everyone wants to be remembered in the hope that our lives touched others and that someone will miss us.”

Those were the opening words by David Hardwick, an elder at Saddlerock Church and our officiant today at the graveside service that laid to rest the unclaimed cremated remains in the care of the Chelan County Coroner’s Office.

It was a beautiful service today. It was especially touching to see more than 90 people join us. We have so many people to thank!

Thank you to the community for supporting this event and for taking time out of your day to honor 57 strangers – showing that their lives were not forgotten in their deaths. Your emotions for people whom you will never know were very touching.

Thank you to David Hardwick for leading us in the community service. Your words were lovely and heartfelt. You were the perfect officiant for our first service!

Thank you to Kevin Precht, owner of Jones & Jones-Betts Funeral Home and the Evergreen Memorial Park and Mausoleum. This event could not have happened without your generous donation of the community crypt where the remains were laid to rest. Thank you for putting community first.

And thank you to Chelan County Coroner Earl Crowe and Chief Deputy Coroner Faye Fetters for working so hard on this service and for treating everyone with dignity and respect. You make Chelan County proud every day.

09/02/2026

Cashmere-Dryden Airport Day is coming up!

Stop in on Sept. 12 at the airport in Cashmere on your way to the Chelan County Fair. The free event is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some 50 airplanes and helicopters will be on display.

Maybe you'll see the Cashmere Royalty at the airport! From the left are Princess Kate Croci, Queen Gloria Smith and Princess Riley Acheson.

More info at https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/news/article/stop-in-at-cashmere-dryden-airport-day-on-sept-12

09/01/2026

Don't forget -- you are welcome to join us at 2 p.m. Sept. 2 (that's tomorrow) for the Chelan County Coroner's first graveside service for the unclaimed cremated remains in its care.

Community members, local officials, faith leaders, service organizations and anyone wishing to pay their respects are invited to attend the short service at Evergreen Memorial Park and Mausoleum, 1301 10th St. NE in East Wenatchee.

Learn more on our website: https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/news/article/coroner-to-hold-sept-2-graveside-service-for-unclaimed-remains

09/01/2026

Check out our job openings at https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/human-resources/jobs

08/31/2026

The Chelan County Fair is nearly here! Do you have time this week to help us get ready?

🛠️ FAIR WORK DAYS — WE NEED YOU! 🎡🇺🇸

It’s almost Fair time, and we need your help getting the Chelan County Fairgrounds FAIR READY! ⭐🎠

Join us for one work day or come for them all — every bit of help is appreciated! Many hands make light work, and there’s plenty to do as we put the finishing touches on the grounds before opening day.

Whether you can give us an hour or spend the whole day, we’d love to have you! We couldn’t do it without our amazing volunteers and community!

08/31/2026

We've got great news on finding a solution to the woody debris issue at Lake Chelan!

Chelan County Natural Resources has secured a $130,000 grant that will be used to complete a comprehensive assessment of the ongoing woody debris problem on Lake Chelan.

08/29/2026

If you are headed to the Dryden Transfer Station with an electric lawnmower or one of those mini convertibles your kid races around the backyard, please stop and remove the battery for us.

Rechargeable batteries of all sizes – except e-bike batteries – should be taken to our Moderate Risk Waste Facility for safe disposal. They don’t belong at the transfer station.

When we come upon them in the facility’s dumping pit, the batteries literally light us up. When our equipment pushes that garbage with its metal blade and strikes a battery, it can cause a fire or even a small explosion. We recently had one catch fire while an employee was rushing to transfer the battery from the pit into a bucket.

We rely on rechargeable batteries so much these days; they are in nearly everything, it seems. Please remove all rechargeable batteries in items you are disposing of and make a separate trip to the Moderate Risk Waste Facility, which is fully equipped to dispose of these batteries safely.

This photo is an oldie but a goodie of a kids' convertible found along the side of the road in the Chelan District.

Moderate Risk Waste Facility: https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/solid-waste-management/pages/household-hazardous-wastes

08/27/2026

Would you know what to do if you spotted an illegal food vendor on the side of the road in Douglas or Chelan counties? And what's so wrong about them anyway?

The Chelan-Douglas Health District is cracking down on unpermitted food vendors in the two counties. Chelan County Commissioner Shon Smith, who also serves as chairman of the Chelan-Douglas Health District Board, talks about a new task force that's tackling this safety problem and why we should not eat food from unpermitted vendors. If you see such a vendor -- remember, these aren't restaurants or permitted food trucks -- you can call the health district’s main line at 509-886-6400 and hit 8. Make sure you leave a location and time of day that you saw the vendor. The health district will send someone out as quickly as possible.

Listen in and make a Chelan County Connection!

08/26/2026

The Chelan County Planning Commission meets TONIGHT! On the agenda is a workshop on the draft Stehekin Community Plan.

This is a workshop, so no public comments will be taken. That will come at a later hearing next month. But listening in will be educational, especially for those interested in this plan and the Stehekin community.

The 75-page draft plan is on our website: https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/community-development/pages/comprehensive-plan-update -7bb0275c4eb06a210b00463ee4e14a56

Also, if you'd like to attend via Zoom, the link is on our website:

https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/community-development/pages/planning-commission

08/26/2026

The Board of County Commissioners on Monday attended a listening session hosted by the Lake Chelan Wine Alliance and Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce. It was an opportunity for the wineries and other tourism-related businesses to speak with the commissioners -- and maybe even spark some new ideas.

About 100 people attended at Lake Chelan Winery. We look forward to the follow-up from the wine alliance!

Top photo is of Mike Steele, executive director of the chamber and state representative for District 12, speaking to the crowd and the commissioners. Seated from the left are Commissioner Kevin Overbay, Commissioner Brad Hawkins and Commissioner Shon Smith.