PARKE COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Covered Bridge Festival will make its return to Parke County after being cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Covered Bridge festival is one of the largest festivals in Indiana, and it typically brings out around 1 million people for each festival. Jim Meece, President of Parke County Board of Commissioners, said he expects to see even more visitors this year.
“People are ready to get out and do something for a change,” he said. “It’s typically a million people over that ten day period, and I’m sure we’ll easily meet that million if not more.”
Meece has attended every Covered Bridge Festival since it was created in the 1950s. Without the event last year, he explained its absence was felt all throughout the community.
“Not having the festival was a big impact on a lot of people because a lot of people have depended on that for sixty years,” Meece said.
This is a countywide festival that spans over a ten day period. Meece said there really isn’t another festival with a similar format. With such an expansive event, an endless amount of preparation is needed for it to go smoothly.
“The preparation for The Covered Bridge Festival starts even before last year’s Covered Bridge Festival is over,” Meece said. “We’re getting plans of who’s going to be back and who’s not going to be back, although, that doesn’t happen often.”
The festival traditionally starts on the second Friday of every October, which falls on Oct. 8 this year.
