Indiana’s World-Famous Covered Bridge Festival Is Back and the Perfect Way To Celebrate Fall [PHOTOS]
As a child, one of my favorite memories is going to the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival with my Grandpa Baxter. He grew up in Parke County and I cherish every moment I spent with him exploring the covered bridges and going to the festival.
My Earliest Memory
I must have been around five years old and I remember him taking me to a village right outside of Rockville, IN, one of the cities in Parke County that is a part of the festival. He held my hand as we walked on the wooden front porch of the Billie Creek Village General Store. I remember walking into the store and getting some candy sticks. My favorites were watermelon and root beer.
Grandpa Gave Me A Gift
As we left the store, we saw an artist with an aisle drawing portraits. He was using a piece of charcoal to draw a face and shoulders onto a light blue piece of drawing paper. Grandpa told me he wanted the artist to draw a picture of the prettiest girl at the festival. I sat perfectly still as people walked by and commented on how well-behaved and cute I was. Grandpa looked at me with a big smile on his face and I knew, in his eyes, I WAS the prettiest girl there, and it made me feel that way. I lost that drawing in a flood, along with most of the photos from my childhood. But, my memories remain. I'll never forget.
The Parke Couty Covered Bridge Festival Is Special
The festival combines food, vendors, arts and crafts, antiques, 31 covered bridges, and nostalgic historical towns into Indiana’s largest festival, The Covered Bridge Festival. This 10-day festival always starts on the 2nd Friday in October.