The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival attracted large crowds over its first weekend as the weather cooperated beautifully. Bill Pickett has the story…
Jim Meece is president of the Parke County Board of Commissioners and has been involved in the festival since it began…
{AUDIO: “It was started in ’57. That would make this the sixty-ninth. Now, a lot of people will say it’s the sixty-eighth because we didn’t have an official festival during the Covid year. But even though we weren’t giving transient merchant licenses or health permits – those kinds of things, officially – there were still all the stores in town were open. The bridges were still here. We still had full restaurants and hotels and stuff. So, it went on, so in my mind we never missed a year. So, this would be the sixty-ninth year.”}
Meece notes that although Rockville is the headquarters for the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, there are activities in other towns….
{AUDIO: “We have stuff going on in Montezuma, Rosedale, Mansfield, Bridgeton, Tangier, Bloomingdale, Mecca. So, there’s a lot of places around the county. And the tough part is now, really, choosing where you want to go, because you can’t do it all in one day.”}
Visitors can drive themselves around Parke County, or follow this suggestion from Meece…
{AUDIO: “They also have tours. You can get on a tour bus, and you don’t have to do any driving at all. And most of those tours last three to four hours. You just pay your money. You get on a limousine bus, and they’ll drive you to several locations. Whichever route you have. We have four separate routes in the county. You can choose which bridges you want to see and then get on that route. And they’ll take you to see those things, and stop at those towns, and bring you right back. You don’t have to do any driving at all.”}
The thirty-one covered bridges are the main attraction this week, but visitors will also find arts and crafts, antiques, various types of food and – at some locations – live music. The Covered Bridge Festival runs through Sunday, October 19, 2025. For more information visit www.coveredbridges.com.
