Covered Bridge Festival winds up this weekend

MANSFIELD (AP) -- Organizers are expecting a sunny change from this week's rainy weather to draw big crowds to the final weekend of this fall's Parke County Covered Bridge Festival in western Indiana.

This is the 58th year of the countywide festival that started Oct. 10, drawing tens of thousands of visitors on busy days to the county's 31 wooden covered bridges and adjoining communities.

Vendors selling food and craft items line roads during the festival in towns such as Rockville, Mansfield, Bridgeton, Rosedale and Mecca scattered about the rural county.

"It's been a little slow just because of the rain ... but people are still coming in," said Kelsey Canfield of Parke County Inc., the group that organizes and promotes the festival.

The annual event ends Sunday.