Bridge Day


Bridge Day

Third Saturday in OctoberBridge Day is both a celebration of the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia, and a day of bliss for daredevils. The bridge, completed in 1977, is the world's longest steel-arch span and is the second highest bridge in the nation (after the Royal Gorge Bridge over the Arkansas River in Colorado). Its arch span is 1,700 feet, with a rise of 360 feet, putting it 876 feet above the New River Gorge National River. On Bridge Day, celebrated since 1980, parachutists jump from the bridge onto the river's banks below. The less bold walk over the bridge. About 200 vendors offer food, crafts, and souvenirs for sale. Attendance is about 150,000.
CONTACTS:
Fayette County Chamber of Commerce
New River Convention and Visitors Bureau
310 Oyler Ave.
Oak Hill, WV 25901
800-927-0263 or 304-465-5618
www.nps.gov/neri/bridgeday.htm