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“That’s seven miles away.” Cooper’s stomach took a dive. Hikers wouldn’t come this far out of the way. Why would they even hitchhike if they found everything they were looking for in Silverton?
“But Silverton isn’t set up as well as Riverbend,” Mom said. “And the town isn’t exactly known for putting out a welcome mat for hikers.”
“There’s really no choice. Anyway, Louis thinks their attitude will change once business starts flooding in.”
“But clearing a new trail will cost a lot of money,” Gavin said.
Jeff shrugged, sinking onto the bench beside Mom.
Cooper joined his parents at the table and so did the others. Quiet descended as the news settled. This would not only mean economic hardship for the community but also for Jeff’s store, which had been around since the early eighties when his parents opened it.
“But wait,” Avery said. “They’d still have to get the hikers across the river, and there’s no bridge in Silverton.”
“No, but they have that old railroad truss,” Jeff said. “In the next month they’re planning to make it into a footbridge.”
“How long will our bridge repairs take?” Cooper asked.
“Up to six months, they think.”
Cooper’s shoulders sank. “Six months? That’s the rest of the season.”
The winter months were hard enough without losing half of tourist season too. It would be like a ghost town without the tourists. Would the businesses make it through this?
“There has to be something we can do,” Mom said. “Some way to bring business to the community.”
“What about an event of some kind?” Katelyn said. “A festival or something?”
Mom sat up straight. “That’s a brilliant idea! It’s too late for a summer festival, but we could do some kind of fall celebration. One last big hurrah before winter.”
“It’s already the end of August, Ma,” Gavin said.
Avery leaned in. “If anyone can throw together an event in short order, it’s Lisa. And she’s on the city council.”
“They’ll see the need for this,” Mom said. “I know I can get them on board. And the town will be eager to follow suit. If we’re going to count on good weather, we should schedule it no later than Halloween.”
Jeff shook his head. “But that’ll take us right up to the election. That’s a lot for this family to contend with.”
“Cooper and I can keep our focus on the campaign, and the rest of you can put your heart into the festival,” Avery said. “Maybe we could even use the festival to benefit Coop’s campaign in some way.”
“Great idea,” Cooper said. “And I’ve got plenty of volunteers, Mom. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Now we just need to figure out what kind of shindig we should have,” Mom said.
Gavin tilted his head to the side. “What about a harvest festival?”
“Or maybe something related to the trails?” Kate suggested.
“I love that.” Mom threw an arm around Kate. “You’re a genius, sweetheart.”
Kate’s cheeks bloomed with color.
“We could call it Trail Days...” Jeff said. “And it could celebrate the history and culture of the trail.”
Cooper nodded. “I love it.”
“It’s perfect,” Gavin said.
The mood around the table had shifted from despair to excitement.
