One day after two U.S. Senators proclaimed Ely was open for business, the Chamber of Commerce board announced it was canceling the Blueberry/Art Festival, scheduled for July 24-26.
The Chamber said the decision follows ongoing discussions with local officials and members of the Incident Command Team overseeing emergency response efforts.
"While this decision carries significant economic impact for vendors, businesses, and our community, public safety and responsible stewardship must remain our priority," said Chamber president Tanner Spicer.
The Chamber cited factors for the cancellation:
- Ongoing evacuations in surrounding areas
- The evolving nature of the wildfire emergency
- Lessons learned from emergency conditions that resulted in festival cancellation in 2021
- Existing demands on emergency response personnel and community resources
A news release the Chamber sent out Saturday included the following: "Ely remains resilient and many local businesses continue serving residents, visitors, and the emergency response teams that are arriving in town daily. However, bringing tens of thousands of additional visitors into the region during an active emergency was determined to be inconsistent with current public safety needs. The Chamber is currently working with festival vendors and multiple options, including transferring to the 2026 Harvest Moon Festival. Additionally, Chamber leadership is working with legislators, community leaders, and business stakeholders to identify recovery and support opportunities for vendors and local businesses affected by the cancellation."
The Blueberry/Art Festival is the largest event each year in Ely and fills stores, restaurants and hotels. The Chamber canceled the Blueberry/Art Festival in 2020 due to Covid and in 2021 following a storm that damaged booths in the park.
