Two Octobers ago, the Manson Chamber ran a month called "Haunted Manson," billed as "Harvest by day, Haunted by Night." It came back in 2025 under the same name and ran every day from October 1 through October 31. This year the haunted half is gone. The month is called Fall for Manson, and at its center is something the town hasn't hosted before: a one-day street festival that a local events calendar calls the Manson Chamber of Commerce's "inaugural" Harvest Fest, set for Saturday, October 17, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. downtown.
The new format sends people walking downtown, from storefront to storefront. That timing matters, because the stretch of Wapato Way they'll walk on the 17th has changed over the past twelve months. One storefront has turned from a tasting room into a sports bar, a café has moved in from across town, and one of the oldest shops on the street says it may close on the last day of the month.
A Month Built Around Walking Downtown
Fall for Manson runs October 1 through 31. It's organized around an interactive passport that went live on October 1 and lets you check in at participating businesses, events and activities across the valley. The first Saturday is already over. On October 3 the lineup included U-pick pumpkins and flowers at Antheia of Chelan on Klate Road, the pumpkin patch at Chelan Valley Farms on Green Avenue, a behind-the-scenes tour at Amos Rome Vineyards on Wapato Lake Road, and Oktoberfest at Four Lakes Winery on Wine Garden Lane.
Most of those first-weekend stops were out in the orchards and vineyards. The rest of the month moves back into town. Starting October 12, local businesses will put their own scarecrows on display, and a separate Scarecrow Contest Passport lets you check in at each location and vote for a favorite through October 31. A scarecrow hunt only works if you go from shop to shop, so it pulls people onto the sidewalks of downtown for three weeks.
The Block You'll Be Walking
Here's how the core of Wapato Way looks heading into Harvest Fest, compared with a year or so ago.
| Address | What's there now | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 70 Wapato Way | Allison's of Manson | For sale, 25% off storewide, closing Oct. 31 unless a buyer steps in |
| 94 Wapato Way | Broken Compass Café | Opened in the former North Shore Café space, ribbon-cutting Nov. 28, 2025 |
| 222 E. Wapato Way | Tapped Out Sports Bar & Pool Hall | Former winery tasting room, reopened as a sports bar on May 22, 2026 |
| 224 Wapato Way | The Store | Micro general store, grand opening June 21, 2025 |
The 222 East Wapato Way storefront has had the biggest change. It used to be the WineGirl Wines tasting room. That brand moved to new ownership and tasting rooms elsewhere in a transition that began in September 2025, and the Manson site was slated to become a sports venue. Owner Todd Link told the Lake Chelan Mirror he decided in fall 2025 to convert his former winery and tasting room. The result is Tapped Out, with 10 large-screen TVs, pool tables, Monday Night Trivia and live music on weekend evenings. The menu has burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and a kids' menu. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It opened in late May, so this is its first football season. On Harvest Fest day, the Taste of Harvest Restaurant Crawl will pass by.
Broken Compass Café moved downtown after leaving its earlier spot at Riverwalk Inn. It took over the former North Shore Café space and held its ribbon-cutting on November 28, 2025. A current local directory lists it at 94 Wapato Way, open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Monday and closed Tuesday and Wednesday. If you want breakfast before the parade, October 17 falls on a Saturday, inside those hours. Call ahead to confirm, since the hours come from a directory listing and not from the café itself.
Harvest Fest, Hour by Hour
The Chamber describes the day as a festival spread "throughout downtown," with local businesses running their own specials alongside the main program. The listed lineup:
- Paws on Parade, the costumed dog walk that opens the day
- KOZI Radio live broadcast and music
- The Sock Walk and harvest games
- Artisan Showcase and the Fall Flavors Expo
- Taste of Harvest Restaurant Crawl
- Pumpkin Carving Contest and a community Pumpkin Wall
- Lil' Sprouts Row Kids Zone
The parade is the one part of the day with a firm schedule. Participants meet at the corner of Totem Pole and Wapato Way, should arrive by 10:45 a.m., and walk down Main Street from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Prizes go out in three categories: Best Owner & Dog Look-Alike Pair, Funniest Costume and Scariest Costume. If you're watching, the Chamber suggests finding a spot along Wapato Way.
The "Scariest Costume" category is about all that's left of the old haunted theme. Earlier Octobers ran Halloween programming every night for a month. This year's version puts one day of programming on the street and asks the businesses along it to fill the rest of the month.
October 31 at 70 Wapato Way
Allison's of Manson started with Nicky and John Allison at 71 Wapato Way. It was re-imagined under Sally and Lance Stark in 2016, then carried forward by Nancy and Tom Grossi at 70 Wapato Way. In a September 9 post, the shop said that after 45 years in the community it was preparing to close on October 31, 2026, unless the right buyer came along to carry it on. Everything in the store is 25% off in the meantime. The business's own site still calls it an inventory purchase, with "easy terms" for a buyer who wants to keep it running from day one.
As of October 5, nothing public says a buyer has come forward. Nothing says the closing is final either. The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 31 falls on a Saturday, which makes it the last scheduled store day of the month. It's also the day scarecrow voting closes. If you've been meaning to stop in, Harvest Fest Saturday and the two Saturdays after it are the remaining weekend chances on the current calendar. Anyone interested in buying can reach the owners at 509-885-8444 or [email protected].
What November Takes Away and Brings Back
When the scarecrows come down, the lakefront goes quiet for a different reason. Chelan PUD says the marina at Manson Bay Park will close from November through January while contractors replace the breakwater, which keeps the marina water calm and protects the shoreline from wave erosion. If your boat still needs to come out for the season, plan around that window. The PUD posts status updates at chelanpud.org/parks.
The calendar picks back up in mid-November:
- November 13–15 and 20–22: Lake Chelan Wine Valley's fall barrel-tasting weekends. Manson-area stops listed include Tipsy Canyon Winery and Hard Row to Hoe.
- November 27: Village of Lights kickoff. Santa letters go out at Mountain View Lodge, Santa arrives at Leffler Field, a downtown parade and tree lighting follow, and photos are at Radiance Winery & Coffee. The Chamber's page calls November 27 a Saturday, but that date is a Friday, so check before you plan around it. The season runs through January 23.
Both of these send people back to the same downtown blocks that Harvest Fest fills on the 17th. Some of the businesses those crowds pass in late November will have opened in the past year, and depending on what happens by October 31, one of the oldest may no longer be there.
Downtown changes like these affect what Manson owners and their guests find when they step outside. If you own a home on the north shore, whether you live in it or rent it to visitors, Valley & View keeps track of the local calendar, from the first Harvest Fest to the marina's winter closure, so your guests and your property are ready for the season. Start your Lake Chelan property journey. Buy, sell or manage with Valley & View.
