Parke County, Ind. in the world’s capital of the gorgeous, usually red, covered bridges. These bridges have a great historical piece attached to them and their name typically pays homage to the men who built them. While many are not still in use, they still pop up all over this beautiful rural county and sprinkle a little more color that adds to the beauty of the changing leaves when the annual Covered Bridge Festival takes place each October.
Started in 1957 by three women who gathered together in Rockville to bring more information about the bridges to the public, it has since then exploded to a county-wide festival bringing in over 2 million people each year from all around the world. Now offering items that range from hand-crafted rustic home décor, steampunk jewelry made from old typewriters, and knock-off Coach or Michael Kors bags, the face of CBF has changed a lot over the years.
The locals all tend to complain about the increased traffic that is uncommon any other time of year, cell reception is even worse than usual with so many extra cellular devices in the area, and all the “outsiders” overtaking our small towns for 10 days straight. But, many of us secretly love it. One school schedules its fall break for Festival (hello 10 days away from school!) because the traffic is a pain to navigate and so much of the student body works in various booths with music boosters, FFA, or family members. There is some amazing food that passes through the county each year, too. Crulers, super fresh apple cider, handmade candies, giant turkey legs, and about 4 dozen other options tantalize the nose and taste buds for the entirety of CBF.
It’s also a history lesson that most people enjoy and can step back in time with. At Bridgeton and Mansfield, the old mill is still functioning and has tour guides who explain the process and importance of mills through the years. Rockville offers bus tours of some of the bridges and gives a brief history of each. There are blacksmiths who do live demonstrations every day of the festival and people who drag out their hit-and-miss engines to produce some of the best darn ice cream you’ll ever taste.
Regardless of what you’re searching for in a festival, I’ll just about bet that the Covered Bridge Festival will tickle your fancy in some way or another.
On the 2nd Friday of October 2017, search for the blonde girl in a flannel, Justin boots, and carrying a cup of coffee-- I’ll gladly show you the beauty that is my home county.
Happy autumn!
