Bavarian Bulletin - July 28,  2026 Edition

The Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce is now hiring for Oktoberfest! This year's festival runs three weekends: October 2-3, 9-10, and 16-17.

Festival Hours

• Friday: 6 PM – Midnight
• Saturday: Noon – Midnight
• Some shifts will start before opening and end after closing.

Positions & Pay
Hourly rate: $20–$25

• Recycle / Compost
• Bussers / Runners
• Gate Monitors
• Ticket Scanners / Wristbands
• Bartenders
• Supervisors
• Ticket Sales

Returning employees are eligible for a wage increase from previous years.

Requirements

• Must be 21 or older
• Full or part-time weekend availability accepted
• Priority scheduling given to those available all three weekends

Training Provided
We'll cover job training, including alcohol training through the Chelan County Liquor Board specific to festivals and events, plus the cost of MAST and Food Handler cards.

How to Apply
Please submit your application so we have your most up-to-date information.

With continued media coverage and visible smoke from the Little Giant Fire, we've updated our website with accurate, up-to-date information for visitors — and we wanted to make sure you have it too, especially if you're fielding questions from guests or callers.

Key points to share:

• The fire is burning in a remote area near Lake Wenatchee, about 22 miles northwest of Leavenworth, and started from a lightning strike on July 15.
• Leavenworth is not threatened. Downtown, lodging, and attractions are open and operating normally. Only some U.S. Forest Service trails and roads in the Lake Wenatchee / Chiwawa River area are closed.
• Air quality can shift hour to hour depending on wind and weather, so it's worth checking current conditions before heading out.

Resources to point guests to:

• Our Travel Advisory page has the full, current rundown — please direct anyone calling with questions there. (Pictured above and always found in the top right corner of Leavenworth.org)
• Live webcams give a real-time look at Leavenworth's sky and town conditions.
• AirNow for current air quality.
• Official Forest Service updates on trail and road closures.

We're also reaching out directly to news stations that have shared outdated or inaccurate information about the fire's impact on Leavenworth, to help get the facts corrected. Thank you for helping us keep visitors informed with accurate information during this time.

Let’s be BearWise®

According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), black bears have become increasingly active around the Leavenworth area lately, often due to human-provided attractants that interfere with a bear’s natural behavior.

 In Washington State, feeding or negligently attracting black bears is illegal under RCW 77.15.790. Violations can result in fines of up to $1,025. Currently, there is not a bear-resistant, 300-gallon container option available to meet the City’s commercial garbage service needs.

We are actively collaborating with local agencies and potential vendors to explore viable solutions, and it is our understanding that a product may be available later this year.  In the meantime, the City is permitting commercial accounts to modify their existing city-owned, 300-gallon totes to meet WDFW’s “secured” requirement.

Please note that all trash containers must be unlocked/unlatched by the business owner and available for city service by 5 a.m. on pickup day(s). Thank you for your cooperation and support in becoming a BearWise community.

For examples of a modified, and secured, 300-gallon containers, click the button below. 

The Leavenworth Fund is OPEN and accepting online grant applications for 2027

Leavenworth Fund Grants are available to nonprofit organizations recognized as 501(c) organizations or those applying through a qualified fiscal sponsor.

Complete applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 10, 2026. Applications received after the deadline or submitted incomplete will not be considered.

For 2027, the City is offering two funding categories:  

• Lodging Tax Fund: $150,000 available to nonprofit organizations for activities that promote tourism in the City of Leavenworth
• Leavenworth General Fund: $75,000 available to nonprofit organizations for projects that benefit the residents of the Leavenworth community.

Website Traffic Trends

Over the past 28 days, leavenworth.org saw some encouraging trends worth celebrating. Paid search traffic jumped 46.5% year-over-year, and direct traffic (people typing our URL straight into their browser) grew 9.6% — both signs that our marketing and brand recognition are paying off. International interest also surged, with visitors from Canada up 21.8% and the UK up 20%. On the engagement side, over 12,000 people viewed our Oktoberfest page, and we tracked more than 5,100 direct booking searches and 4,000 clicks out to lodging partners — strong signals that visitors aren't just browsing, they're actively planning their trip to Leavenworth.

Link Transit thanks you for your partnership and wants to remind you and your employees and guests that due to summer traffic they will be on a festival schedule every Saturday from July 11th-August 29th for Route 22.

Route 22 trips, beginning with the 10:15AM departure, and until the 4:15PM departure will end at Willkommen Park-and-Ride.

Route 32 will have an additional bus to minimize transfer times for riders travelling into Leavenworth. Trips will depart every 15 minutes from Willkommen Park-and-Ride from 11:30AM until 6:45PM.

_{* Remember, these are footfalls counted by five camera locations on Front Street. The numbers are NOT individual people counts, those numbers would be lower.}

Oktoberfest 2026 tickets are on sale here: Oktoberfest event page.  

You can still become a sponsor of Oktoberfest, more information can be found here.

Orion River Rafting • Glory Days Vintage • Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration • The Hat Shop • Red Bell Christmas Motel • Blue Elk Inn • Leavenworth Lions Club • Obertal Inn• WaFd Bank • Faith Lutheran Church • Leavenworth Great Escapes • All Seasons River Inn • Mountain Country Corner • Icicle Village Resort • Chateau Faire Le Pont - Leavenworth Tasting Room • The Suites on Main  • A Book For All Seasons

Websites
Leavenworthchamber.org
Leavenworth.org

Our mailing address is:
Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce

PO Box 327
940 Highway 2 Suite B
Leavenworth, WA 98826-0327

If you have questions, please call us at (509)548-5807

Copyright © 2026 Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce, All rights reserved.
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