CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Holden Village, Chelan, Wash., a Lutheran retreat center threatened by wildfire earlier this month, will reopen with full programming Aug. 29, according to an Aug. 23 news release posted on the center's Web site.
Guests and visitors will be welcome beginning Aug. 29, the release said. "We are expecting any guest with reservations between August 25 and 29 to arrive [Aug. 29]," the release said.
Nearby, the "Deep Harbor" wildfire had threatened access to the remote retreat center, which is surrounded by the Glacier Peak Wilderness. As a precaution, Holden Village officials, working with the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, closed the retreat facility to guests Aug. 15 and evacuated them. Only a small staff remained along with U.S. Forest Service crews.
The fire has now been contained, and firefighting crews at Lucerne, Wash., are being downsized, the release said. Firefighters have completed much of their work in reducing the threat of the fire, which remains south of Bear Creek.
"It is not smoky in the Village at this time, but wind and weather conditions affect the air quality because of the number of fires smoldering in the Cascades," the release said.
An interagency firefighting team will lower the fire advisement for Holden and Lucerne and Domke Lake, enabling Holden staff to return this week and prepare the Village for its reopening, the Holden Village release said. Structural protection measures such as fire hoses and sprinklers around buildings will remain at Holden until the seasonal change, but will be modified to allow safe access to the pathways of the Village. Brush has been trimmed and cleared around the Village during this past week, creating "significant defensible space," the news release said.
Though the fire advisory has been lowered from Level 2 to Level 1, many hiking trails will remain closed for a while, the release said.
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Information about Holden Village -- including reservations, which are required -- is available at http://www.holdenvillage.org/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
