Covered bridge festival canceled due to pandemic

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

Another anticipated summer event has fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic. The 50th annual Covered Bridge Festival scheduled for the week of Sept. 13 has been canceled.

The EQT Washington & Greene Counties’ Covered Bridge Festival, held at 10 locations in both counties, expected 400 vendors and thousands of residents. 

Each covered bridge has a charm of its own that brings people back year after year, and with free admission, attracts thousands of people throughout the counties and surrounding communities. 

According to Jeff Kotula, President of the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency, the decision to cancel the event was to ensure public safety during the COVID-19 situation.  

“The Covered Bridge Festival attracts over 20,000 visitors a year to Washington County and under the current guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health limiting events to 250 people, we cannot host the event,” Kotula said. “Our priority is for the safety of our guests and the people of Washington County.”

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