![]() We got stuck behind slow moving combines on their way to harvesting fields, both going to and coming back from the festival. I’m definitely a city girl, and would rather be on a busy interstate than driving along country roads. I love the covered bridges, and need to come back to find them all sometime other than October, when there is less traffic.įactoring in the festival traffic and slow speeds required by some of the narrow roads, it’s about a two hour trek west from my house. The festival expanded over the years to ten communities in Parke County (Rockville, Bridgeton, Mansfield, Mecca, Rosedale, Coxville, Marshall, Montezuma, Bloomingdale and Tangier), and more people now come for the crafts, antiques and other items offered up by vendors than to see the covered bridges. The crowds grew each year and so did the event. Maps were provided for tourists looking for information about the bridges bridge routes were marked with cardboard signs bus tours were provided and refreshment stands were stationed along the routes. The next year the first covered bridge festival was held over three days on the Rockville courthouse square. ![]() She wrote a letter to the local newspaper complaining about the lack of information, and the editor published her letter plus an editorial about the missed tourism opportunity for the county, which was struggling economically. At that time there were 41 bridges, but they were only able to locate 20 of them since so little information existed about the bridges, many of which are off the beaten path on little country roads without signs to direct you to them. Charles Cole, brought friends back to her home county to show them the covered bridges throughout the area. It dates back to 1957, when a former resident of Rockville, Indiana, Mrs. The festival takes place in Parke County, Indiana, home of 31 covered bridges, and boasts attendance of over 2 million people each year, making it Indiana’s largest festival. It is like the Indiana State Fair of October. The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival is a ten day event which begins on the second Friday in October each year. I decided to take a day off work so Mom and I could attend the covered bridge festival since we hadn’t been in several years. I love autumn events, but finding time to check off my fall bucket list can be a challenge. ![]() It’s one of the busiest times of the year for me at work and home. Fall always flies by at record speed for me, and this year is no exception.
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