Record turnout anticipated for 40th Bridge Day in Fayette County

By  in News | October 17, 2019 at 6:16PM

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Organizers of this year’s Bridge Day in Fayetteville are expecting between 80,000 and 100,000 people, including tourists from other states and other nations, to take part in the 40th annual event Saturday.

Fayetteville Mayor and Bridge Day Commission Chairwoman Sharon Cruikshank said a favorable weather outlook and picturesque foliage currently on display along the New River Gorge could result in a record number of visitors during the event, which begins with the “Taste of Bridge Day” festival at Adventures on the Gorge in Lansing, featuring area restaurants and caterers offering samples of their cuisine, along with local artwork, souvenirs and live music.

“National attention is focused here and I think it’s really great. It’s a great opportunity for us to put our best foot forward and welcome everybody. Fayetteville’s got the town ready,” Cruikshank told MetroNews. “There’s a lot of opportunities for people to enjoy shopping, getting their food fix and then getting a music fix.”

Anniversary pins, tumblers and commemorative booklets will be available for purchase at the event and at the Fayette County Chamber/New River Gorge CVB office in Oak Hill.

Cruikshank said visitors will be able to choose from several locations to observe more than 300 participants expected to take part in Saturday’s BASE jump off the New River Gorge Bridge.

“Within a mile, mile and a half, (people who walk down into the Gorge) do have a nice venue that you can watch from, from Route 82. Some people like to watch it from Canyon Rim Visitor’s Center, there on the north side with the National Park Service. And then there’s also Adventures on the Gorge, Hawk’s Nest State Park. You really have to have a good pair of binoculars but you could ride the New River jet boat, and that takes you up almost to the bridge area, so you could see a little bit of Bridge Day from that. And the best way, I think, is to be on a rafting trip. They pull in right under the area so you can watch from a raft below, so it’s the best of both worlds,” she said.

Fayette County Sheriff Mike Fridley said his officers will be ready for the expected heavy traffic, thanks to months of advanced planning and coordination between law enforcement agencies.

“The most important thing I can say to people is: use the shuttles. You can get a ride to the front gate where you get dropped off, and they pick you up and take you back to your car’” said Fridley. “Here in the town of Fayetteville, you can also be picked up in front of the courthouse. For $3, it takes you to the event, drops you off, you get checked when you go through, come back out, find the bus with your parking lot number on it and ride back. Can’t beat it.”

Route 19 approaching the New River Gorge Bridge will be closed in both directions Saturday beginning at 7 a.m., and will reopen at 5 p.m.

Active Southern West Virginia, which organizes and hosts the traditional Saturday morning Bridge Day 5K run, will offer a bike valet service for visitors who plan to park their cars and ride their bicycles to the event. ASWV Community Outreach Director Erin Reid said giving attendees the option of arriving at the site on a bike promotes the group’s goal of encouraging healthy lifestyle activities while alleviating a small portion of the expected traffic congestion.

“Right at the corner of Route 19 and Keller Avenue will be the Active Southern West Virginia bike valet check-in, and you’ll come up and see our representatives at the table. They will secure your bike and give you a ticket, just like at a coat check,” she said.

Bike riding into the Gorge is permitted. The 5K run will begin shortly after Bridge Day officially opens to the public at 9 a.m.

Backpacks, coolers, large handbags, folding chairs, alcoholic beverages, weapons and fireworks will not be permitted at the event.

A complete schedule of events on Friday and Saturday is available at https://officialbridgeday.com/