This area’s largest tourist event of the year – the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival – is back for a ten-day run. And if you are perhaps new to the area, Neysa Jones, Executive Director of Parke County Incorporated, explains what it is…
{AUDIO: ‘’We have 31 covered bridges in Parke County, so each year we have a 10-day festival to celebrate that and highlight tourism in Parke County. We have ten different festival locations throughout the county and we have different driving routes where you can see the covered bridges and stop at the festival locations to shop along the way.’’}
The Covered Bridge Festival begins Friday (October 14, 2022) and runs through October 23rd. The town square in Rockville, Indiana serves as the hub for the event but Jones notes several other towns in Parke County join in the fun….
{‘’This is the biggest event for Parke County of all of the year. A lot of the smaller communities really rely on the tourism that is built by this festival. And the economy really, really booms in October for Parke County.’’}
This is the 65th Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, and Jones was asked what she thinks has kept it going….
{AUDIO: ‘’You know, I think it’s just the love for this type of event. It’s fall in Indiana. It’s beautiful. The bridges are the highlight. And people that don’t live around here don’t get to see that. So when they come to Parke County, they’re seeing scenes that they don’t get anywhere else.’’}
{Neysa Jones, Executive Director of Parke County Incorporated.}
There are multiple routes that visitors can follow to view the bridges….
{AUDIO: ‘’There are five different driving routes. They are all color-coded, and you can pick-up a Parke County map with all of those routes on it at the Parke County Visitors Center.’’}
The visitors center is located just east of the square in Rockville.
You can drive the routes yourself or board tour busses at the Rockville square during the festival. In addition to the bridges, visitors can enjoy the food, craft sales and fall colors along the routes. It is estimated that between two-million to two-million, 500-thousand people will visit the area during the 10 days of the festival.
For more information visit www.Coveredbridges.com or call 765-569-5226.
