As wildfires continue to scorch thousands of acres in northern Minnesota, one Ely resident has turned worry into action. Graphic designer Bethany Hway launched an “Ely Strong” initiative, designing, creating and selling locally inspired posters, stickers and apparel to support Ely Community Resource, a nonprofit serving youth for nearly five decades. This WCCO-TV segment shares more about it.
Hway’s project gives residents a symbol to rally around as smoke, closures and uncertainty weigh on businesses that depend on summer visitors. Parts of the Boundary Waters east of Ely are reopening. Business owners and residents in and around the city hope eventual meaningful rainfall will extinguish enough of the remaining fires to allow for the reopening of the Boundry Waters area closeset to Ely. Meanwhile, “Ely Strong” serves as a reminder of the town’s resilience and the deep care people feel for the place they call home.
