FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — BASE jumpers and rapellers will be back in Fayette County this weekend for the return of a full scale event that highlights the New River Gorge Bridge.
Bridge Day 2022 will be held Saturday in Fayetteville.
The event was offered virtually the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bridge Day Commission Chair Becky Sullivan said it’s the first time Bridge Day is being held since the designation of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
Sullivan said the designation coupled with the return of in-person activities has been a big draw for visitors.
“We’ve got a lot of interest in the activities that we do with Bridge Day. Our Into the Gorge tickets sold out in the middle of August,” she told MetroNews.
It’s the only day of the year the bridge is shutdown to vehicles.
“You are allowed to walk on the bridge,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got almost 200 vendors that will be lined up on the roadway leading up to the bridge.”
U.S. Route 19 will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
That’s where BASE jumpers will prepare to leap off the bridge with pedestrians looking on. Sullivan said it’s a unique experience that draws people from around the world.
“I believe the oldest BASE jumper we have this year is 81 years old. They come from all over,” she said.
A kickoff event called Taste of Bridge Day will be held Friday night at Adventures on the Gorge. Bridge Day is held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A Chili Cookoff will be held in downtown Fayetteville immediately after that from 3-6 p.m.
The New River Gorge Bridge was built 45 years ago. Bridge Day is marking 43 years.