Director's Message — September 2026

Applarians gilled hot dogs and hamburgers for our End of Summer BBQ.

​by Lisa Blair, Executive Director

Well, here we are, saying goodbye to another summer and welcoming the beginning of fall. Typically, I would be thankful for the end of months of oppressive heat, but this summer has not been bad at all. Had it not been for the smoke in August, I would have declared this the best summer since I moved here —and that is a lot of summers! I hope all of you have enjoyed your summer as well, whether you spent it soaking up the sunshine, enjoying time with family and friends, or doing a little traveling.

We bid farewell to summer at our annual Summer’s End BBQ a few weeks ago, and it turned out to be a wonderful and very enjoyable event. Indoor yard games were set up on the dance floor, and I do believe we had a little competition going with cornhole! Lance Tigner of the Easy Street Men’s Choir entertained us throughout the evening with some of our favorite songs, and a few of his bandmates joined him for several numbers. The hamburgers were served in grand fashion by a group of members from the Applarians. We also had a generous number of our own Community Center volunteers share their Saturday afternoon and their many talents with us — from serving food and decorating the tables to cleaning the social hall and kitchen long after everyone had said their goodbyes. It truly was a great event, and I can guarantee we will do it again next year!

The beginning of fall also brings the onset of flu season, but we will be ready this year with a flu vaccine clinic. Walgreens has agreed to host the clinic and will be offering COVID-19, Influenza High-Dose (65+), and standard Influenza vaccines. The clinic will be held on September 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Suite B. Free Trivalent Flu Shot Vouchers are available for those without insurance. Please bring all forms of insurance information with you, not just your Medicare card.

We are also being treated to music by The Wenatchee Big Band at a dance in the Social Hall on Saturday, September 19, at 7 p.m. This is a group of fantastic musicians, and we have had the honor of being entertained by them in the past. Come to dance and get your groove on or simply sit back and soak in the sounds of music from yesteryear. This group never fails to provide knock-out entertainment, so please put this on your calendar and plan to attend. The cost is $15.
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We are also gearing up for our annual Gift Fair in early November. Kristen will be sending out information about signing up for booth space if you are interested in selling your handicrafts or small-business items. There are always lots of questions from potential booth renters, so please be patient as Kristen does her best to keep everyone updated as information becomes available. This will be Kristen’s first year overseeing this large event, but I have complete confidence that it will come off without a hitch!

This would not be a complete update from me without letting you all know how we are doing with our building expansion project. We have topped the $450,000 mark, and our Building Committee is refreshing and gearing up for a new round of donation requests from our local businesses. The large BCF Commerce Grant has been submitted, and now we wait to see if we will be funded this year. I am always optimistic every time I submit a grant, but the waiting is hard. I am learning patience with this process!

I want to end this message with a giant thank-you to all the volunteers who make this place run so smoothly and who step up to give extra time when we have events or additional needs. I know I sound like a broken record, but we truly would not be open and functioning without all of you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Have a wonderful fall!

~ Lisa

Summer's End BBQ Photos
by Russ Alman