The weather outside is changing and the leaves will soon be in their autumn glory, which means it will be time to celebrate the start of fall in Columbia & Montour Counties with the 42nd Annual Covered Bridge & Arts Festival! This immensely popular four-day fall festival will be held at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds in Bloomsburg, PA from Thursday, October 3rd through Sunday, October 6th. Hours for the event are 9 AM – 5 PM on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and 9 AM – 4 PM on Sunday. The event is produced and coordinated by the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau. Parking and admission to the festival are FREE and tour buses are always welcome.
Visitors will enjoy one of the East Coast’s largest craft festivals, which features 300+ fine arts and craft vendors, food vendors, wine, beer & spirit tastings, fall activities, live fine artist crafting demonstrations, a weekend petting zoo, and much more. The Covered Bridge & Arts Festival has been awarded the tag of one of the 200 Best Arts & Craft Shows in the country ten times by Sunshine Artist Magazine.
Columbia & Montour Counties are home to 25 covered bridges, third most in the United States, and the area festival pays homage to these historic treasures. Visitors can elect to spend a day or two at the festival and another portion of their visit sightseeing the counties’ iconic bridges, nestled in the rural Central Pennsylvania landscape amongst a vibrant fall foliage backdrop.
Throughout the weekend, attendees will be able to see some of the crafters working on their craft in real-time, right in front of them. From painting to photography, woodcrafts, textiles, pottery, blown glass, jewelry, handmade fudge, hot sauces, and so much more, the event will have something for everyone to find for even the pickiest of family members on the Christmas gift list. And with 30+ food vendors, there will be no shortage of delicious fall treats to enjoy as you shop.
The Covered Bridge & Arts Festival will also feature a weekend petting zoo and a few carnival games for children in attendance. Plus, kids can enjoy completing a festival scavenger hunt, available all four days of the event and organized by the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum. Prizes will be awarded to all youth who complete the hunt.
On Saturday, October 5th, there will be live music at the bandshell throughout the day. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Knorrwood will take the stage. Knorrwood is an American-based instrumental folk-rock duo featuring brothers Wes Knorr (acoustic guitar) and Joey Knorr (percussion). Their magical kinship built upon rock n’ roll roots is heavily adorned by inspirations of ethnic music, cinematic soundscapes, and epic folklore. From 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. a well-known local group from Danville, Strawberry Ridge, will entertain audiences with their signature twist on bluegrass music. Expect to hear traditional old favorites as well as some modern songs in their repertoire. And finally, the Mighty Susquehannas will close out the live music schedule by playing from 2:00 – 2:45 p.m.. The Mighty Susquehannas are an ensemble of musicians who bring a variety of styles and influences to the table with a wide catalog of original material. Their self-proclaimed genre of River Funk has been central to their sound as the years pass along. They blend together healthy doses of Funk, Jam-Band, and Alternative Rock that has a little something for everybody.
There will be several new features of note this year at the festival. For classic automobile lovers, a variety of classic cars and trucks will be on display as part of a cruise-in. Classic car owners who would like to display their vehicles at the Covered Bridge & Arts Festival are still able to pre-register to do so. There is no cost for owners to bring their cars to the event, and a simple form can be filled out on the festival’s website page.
For the first time at the event, there will also be vesper services on Sunday morning at 8 AM, prior to the beginning of the festival that day. And returning this year after a hiatus will be a special guided covered bridge bus tour, leaving directly from the festival on Saturday, October 5th. Tickets for the bus tour are $30 per person. Bridges being visited on the tour will include: Rupert, Wanich, Shoemaker, Kramer, Patterson, East & West Paden Twins, Josiah Hess, and Stillwater. The bus tour will last from approximately 10 AM – 1 PM. The bus will leave from and return to the Festival. To learn more or purchase tickets, please contact the Visitors Bureau office at 570-784-8279.
For more information about the event or to plan your trip to the region, please click here.