Saturday, October 17, 1998 -- New River Bridge, Fayetteville
Bridge Day
[Coverage/Recap w/Pics] [More Pictures]
Bridge Day is West Virginia's largest one-day festival, celebrated on the third Saturday in October. It commemorates the October 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge and was first celebrated in 1980. Bridge Day is one of the top 100 festivals in North America!
History of the Bridge: The 3030 foot New River Gorge Bridge took three years to complete and cost nearly $37 million. Because of the chosen arch design, and the depth of the gorge, steel was moved into position by trolleys runing on three-inch diameter cables stretched between two 330 foot towers. More than 88 million pounds of steel are incorporated into the construction of the bridge. Michael Baker Jr. Inc. was the design-engineer company for the structure, which was built by the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel. The cor-ten steel used in construction will never need painting. The span arches across the New River, the world's second oldest river and considered to be America's best whitewater.
BASE Jumping: BASE jumpers will gladly take a flying leap on Bridge Day during their annual convention. BASE stands for Building, Antenna, Span, Earth -- the fixed objects from which these men and women leap. Since it's only a few seconds from bridge rail to splash down, jumping requires a well-orchestrated team of water-safety, communications and emergency personnel. WOAY-TV will have full coverage on their 6PM newscast and WVOutside will be there capturing photos of the event for displaying on this site!
Rappelling: Beneath the bridge's unseen catwalk dangle expert rappellers who resemble so many spiders weaving a web. The Bridge Day trolls practice well-honed skills with their breath-taking gorge as their backdrop. "Passages to Adventure" owner Benjy Simpson oversees rappellers who execute rescue operations in the Gorge if necessary.
Transportation: Throughout the day, buses will run in a circuit from Comfort Inn and Fayetteville High School on Laurel Creek Road and from in front of the courthouse and Town Park in Fayetteville to the vendor area for only $1. You cannot get any closer to the bridge (0.8 mile) than on the bus. Handicapped parking is available near the south and north ends of the bridge and near Keller Avenue. U.S. 19 is a limited access highway; bicycles, horses, fourwheelers, etc., are illegal. Route 82 is closed to vehicles.
Keep It Clean: Vendors are required to have trash cans and the state provides many more, but you are responsible for trash. Please, clean up your mess so it doesn't litter the National Park and so it will remain beautiful for many years to come.
Food/Vendors/Shopping: No Mountain State festival would be worth its funnel cakes without a sumptuous line of candied apples, corn dogs, fries, popcorn, steaks, deli, barbecue sandwiches, lemonade, roasted peanuts, apple butter, molasses, honey, potatoes, handmade ice cream and more -- the Bridge Festival vendors off all of these. West Virginia home-made and homegrown products may be found at many of the vendors, so be prepared to partake in the feeding frenzy.
Miscellaneous:
- The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce VIP Volunteers man booths on the north and south ends of the festivities.
- For the safety of your pet and other attendees, please leave pets at home. Of course, guide animals are welcome.
| TITLE: | New River Gorge Bridge Day Festival |
| WHEN: | Sat, 17 Oct |
| EVENT TYPE: | Bridge Festival |
| WHERE: | Fayetteville |
| CONTACT: | New River CVB (800) 927-0263 E-mail |
