History will come to life along the Susquehanna River during Riverfest. The event will be held from Friday, June 24, through Sunday, June 26, and will highlight one of the biggest moments in the history of the region - the burning of the covered bridge spanning the river during the Civil War. "Riverfest is an opportunity to take one big moment in history and blow it up into all these pieces," said Hope Byers, director of the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center.
The weekend will kick off with Fourth Friday in Wrightsville, Columbia and Marietta, with restaurants offering "fiery" food and drink options. Friday will also feature "Bridge Burners: Who Were They?" This event, a walking tour of the Mount Bethel Cemetery, 700 Locust St., will focus on the five men who lit the fuse. Tours will be offered on June 24 and Saturday, June 25, at 6 p.m. and on June 26 at 11 a.m.
On Saturday, the Bridge Burner Challenge Run and Paddle Race will begin at 9 a.m. at Columbia River Park, and a River Expo will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the park, featuring outfitters and organizations focused on river history and recreation. A variety of lectures will be offered in the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, 41 Walnut St., and a river walk will be held at 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday, spotlighting history of all six local bridges that have crossed the Susquehanna River. Riverfest trolley tours will be offered on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., leaving from Columbia Crossing.
On Sunday, the festivities will include Civil War re-enactors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Wrightsville Commons Park, as well as a Northwest River Trail geology walk with Jeri Jones, leaving at noon from Columbia Crossing. Susquehanna National Heritage Area and Shank's Mare Outfitters will offer Paddle the Battle kayak tours at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. Tours will leave from the lawn at John Wright Restaurant, 234 N. Front St., Wrightsville. At 4 p.m., York County historian Jim McClure will present a lecture on the Underground Railroad and its relationship with the Susquehanna River. From 5 to 9 p.m., The Part Time Managers will present a concert of classic folk and Americana music on the restaurant lawn, with Ridiculous Nicholas performing fire juggling during intermission. Riverfest will conclude with the lighting of the bridge piers at 9 p.m., featuring the story of the burning of the bridge by Historic Wrightsville Inc. while three bridge piers are lit ablaze.
"We are really excited for everything that will be happening at Riverfest. We're super grateful that we have people in our community who know the history of the town," Byers stated. "Without the people at these nonprofits helping us, we couldn't pull this off."
Some of the Riverfest activities require preregistration, as space is limited. For more information, visit https://riverfestpa.com.
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