Covered Bridge & Bluegrass Festival Begins Tonight

The annual Covered Bridge & Bluegrass Festival is quickly approaching. Just 30 minutes from downtown Columbus and 90 minutes from Dayton, this is a family-friendly festival you won't want to miss.

This evening, September 18, 2015 a Sunset Dinner on the Pottersburg Bridge sets the stage for this year's festival. A chef will prepare a five course meal serving guests on the bridge. Seats are limited and reservations are required for this unique dining experience.

Seven excellent bluegrass and folk bands will perform throughout the festival. Other activities include an ice cream social on the bridge, a church service, arts, crafts, shopping, antiques, and wagon rides plus much more throughout the festive weekend from September 18 - 20, 2015. The event officially kicks off on Saturday, September 19. This fascinating festival and its unique setting have attracted folks throughout Ohio year after year. It is now celebrating its 8th anniversary. Admission to the festival is $5 (kids 12 and under are free) - good for the entire weekend.

The beautiful Pottersburg Covered Bridge hosts The Covered Bridge Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 2015. The historic bridge sits at the end of North Lewisburg's multi-purpose trail. Corn fields and woods surround the bridge creating a serene, rural location for the festival.

Union County Chamber & Tourism Director, Tina Knotts, says the fest is known as a family-friendly event and that it takes a full day to see and do all that is offered.

"From breakfast on the bridge Saturday morning to tours of bridges in the country to the marketplace with crafts and antiques, plus seven bluegrass and folk bands playing throughout the festival, most families will make a day of it at the event." Knotts said.

While adults enjoy the music and history, children's activities will include a petting zoo, demonstrations from historical reenactors, horse drawn wagon rides, seeing a flock of sheep and more.

After breakfast on the bridge, families can attend a canvas class taught by a member of the Marysville Art League. In light of the festival's theme, participants in the class will learn step by step how to paint a covered bridge. Reservations and a fee apply to this class. Visitors can then shop in the merchant area, watch demonstrations in the demo tent, listen to storytelling, or take a covered bridge and scenic byway tour. The guided tours are an excellent way to take in the sights of Union County.

Guests can also listen to an excellent lineup of music artists. Saturday's music lineup includes One More Time String Band, Daniel Dye and the Miller Road Band, and Black Diamond. Be sure to stay for the Saturday night Concert on the Bridge performed by Sugar Creek Bluegrass with Bill Purk. Sugar Creek Bluegrass is an energetic young group of siblings who have been performing together since 2012. Concert tickets are $15 at the bridge or $12 presale.

The festivities continue on Sunday with coffee and a church service on the bridge, an ice cream social, more music by bluegrass artists, and a repeat of Saturday's activities, shopping, and vendors.

For more information about the festival, sponsorship opportunities, dinner on the bridge reservations, or Saturday concert ticket information, call the Union County Convention and Visitor's Bureau at 937-642-6279 or email tknotts@unioncounty.org. The Pottersburg Bridge is located at 17141 Inskeep-Cratty Road in North Lewisburg, Ohio 43060. More information including a detailed festival schedule are at www.coveredbridgefestival.com.