A popular festival has been canceled at two sites in Washington County over weather concerns.
The EQT Washington and Greene Counties’ Covered Bridge Festival is scheduled to take place Saturday and Sunday at multiple covered bridge sites throughout both counties.
But Thursday afternoon, officials announced that the festival will not happen at the two Mingo County Park locations: Henry Covered Bridge and Ebenezer Covered Bridge. The other sites are not currently affected.
Public safety was the primary motivator, given recent flooding and the chance for more rain.
“We met at Mingo Creek County Park this morning with members of the Washington County Department of Parks and Recreation staff to assess the site for public safety, parking issues and damage due to flooding,” Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency President Jeff Kotula said in a release. “After consulting with the park team, we determined the flooding at the Ebenezer site presents safety issues for our festival volunteers, Sheriff Deputies, traffic control personnel and visitors, especially for those with disabilities as our main handicapped area is unusable.”
For now, the festival will continue at the other bridge sites, which are operated by individual groups.
The Covered Bridge Festival incorporates food, craft vendors, entertainment and family-friendly activities to celebrate the region’s covered bridges and their surrounding communities.
“The Covered Bridge Festival is one of Washington County’s most longstanding traditions, and we recognize the tremendous amount of time and effort that our Mingo Creek County Park site coordinators, vendors, volunteers and community partners put into preparing for this weekend,” Kotula said. “However, the safety of our visitors and everyone involved with the festival must remain our priority.”
Click here for more information about the Covered Bridge Festival and updates on the festivities at each site.
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