Cover your bridges

The annual Covered Bridge Festival is mainly in Parke County, but Bainbridge gets in on the festivities because of its location on U.S. 36. It held its own collection of sales, tents, events and other festivities on Saturday and Sunday. Many of these tents are set up next to the Bainbridge Town Hall building, including the Aflac booth manned by Kathy Monnett of Greencastle. Monnett borrowed the duck from a friend in Bainbridge for the event.

Bainbridge Elementary also had a community rummage sale from 8 a.m.-noon for the event, which held many assorted clothes, antiques, electronics and more. Nakyhia Vaughan and sister Malachi look at the "Holiday Stuff" section of the sale. All proceeds of the Bainbridge Elementary event went to purchase supplies to work on the Cougar Den, an outdoor space the school plans to use as a classroom and educational environment.

Julie O'Brien is using the Covered Bridge Festival as an opportunity to determine the popularity of her own home-made creations. O'Brien has made dolls, bibs, baskets and more to sell. She said she wants to turn her arts and crafts into a business, but she hasn't made a plan for that just yet. The Covered Bridge Festival will continue through the week to Sunday, Oct. 23.