Notes of interest for Bridge Day attendees

Oct. 20—In need of some last-minute information to make your visit to Bridge Day a little smoother?

The comprehensive source of that information is the event's website, officialbridgeday.com.

Or, if you'd rather talk to a person in the flesh or on the phone, visit the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce/New River Gorge CVB office at 310 W. Oyler Avenue in Oak Hill or call 304-465-5617 this week.

While the bridge is the place to be on Saturday, Oct. 21, the office will be manned that day, as well.

Becky Sullivan, executive director of the chamber/CVB and chair of the Bridge Day Commission, staffers Tim Naylor and Megan Weatherford and many other contributing volunteers and organizations are in the final leg of preparations for the annual Bridge Day event, which is held the third Saturday of each year.

"We're looking forward to the 44th annual Bridge Day," Sullivan said this week. "We're looking forward to seeing all the returning and new vendors coming in and all the BASE jumping activities along with the rappelling, and watching the Active Southern West Virginia race go through."

According to Sullivan, about 350 BASE jumpers, which includes staff, are expected to be on hand Saturday to take the leap from the 876-foot-high New River Gorge Bridge. BASE is an acronym for the fixed objects from which parachutists jump: buildings, antenna, span and earth.

The event officially runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday.

Jumpers will do their thing during that time frame, and about 20 teams of rappellers will dangle from the narrow catwalk underneath the bridge at the same time. The high line component will also be available through Bridge Walk on Friday and Saturday this year. As of mid-week, a few slots remained.

All the while, people can legally walk on two lanes of the world-famous bridge during the six hours, and they can peruse the wares of over 200 vendors who have paid for booth spaces on either end of the north-bound side of the bridge traversed by pedestrians.

The Fayette Tribune has also produced a special tabloid on Thursday, Oct. 19 which will highlight some of the Bridge Day stories and information. See inside the Thursday print edition.

Bridge Day notes:

—From information supplied by Bridge Day's official website, www.officialbridgeday.com, and the Bridge Day Commission, here are some notes to make attending the event easier:

Kick off your Bridge Day weekend with Taste of Bridge Day at Adventures on the Gorge in Lansing from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20. Visit the event's website at officialbridgeday.com/taste-of-bridge-day.

Saturday's schedule includes:

—5:30 a.m. — Vendors arrive at designated staging lots.

—7 a.m.— Route 19 closes to traffic. Detour begins.

—7 to 8 a.m. — Active SWV's Bridge Day 5K RUN racers arrive at designated pickup spots.

—8:15 a.m. — Buses begin transporting 5K racers to starting line.

—8:30 a.m. — Shuttles begin at designated lots. See map at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b27d9ccb105985be1811a03/t/65285e7b8b062d0609dc8972/1697144445415/23+Shuttle+Map+Updates.jpg

—8:45 a.m. — Bridge Day 5K Race begins.

—9 a.m. — Bridge Day officially begins.

—9 a.m. — Into The Gorge bus rides start (pre-sold tickets only). The rides end at 1:30 p.m.

—3 p.m. — Bridge Day Chili Cookoff begins in downtown Fayetteville.

—3 p.m. — Bridge Day officially ends.

—5 p.m. — Route 19 re-opens. Detour ends.

—Official 2023 Bridge Day posters signed by the artist, Jill Moles Mullins, are available for $10 at the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce/New River Gorge CVB office in Oak Hill this week. They will also be for sale on Bridge Day at the chamber of commerce's welcome/retail booths.

—The official 2023 Bridge Day shirts by Mountain Mindful will be for sale near the bridge on Saturday. Remaining shirts will be available for sale at the chamber/CVB office after Bridge Day week.

The chamber currently has some Bridge Day shirts and posters from previous years for sale at the Oak Hill office.

—While Bridge Day is a free event to enter, attendees are urged to bring their wallets to shop from numerous vendors at the event.

Also, official event merchandise can be bought at Bridge Day welcome tents at each entrance. Among the items you will find will be socks, fanny packs, playing cards, mugs, tumblers, posters, puzzles, pins and more.

—Into the Gorge shuttle participants should look for the orange flags that say "Shuttle" on them. You can get on and off at any of those stops, except for the one in the center of the bridge. That one is reserved for BASE jumpers only.

Into the Gorge tickets will be picked up on the day of the event starting at 9 a.m. at the official Bridge Day tent on either the north or south entrance depending on what you indicated when you ordered.

Festival rules are as follows:

—No dogs

—No coolers or folding chairs

—No bicycles, skates, skateboards or wagons

—No weapons, fireworks, illegal drugs or alcoholic beverages

—No quadcopters/drones

—Prohibited bags include backpacks, tote bags, large purses, camera bags and binocular cases

—Approved bags include clear backpacks, clear tote bags, fanny packs, purse or clutch smaller than 5 inches by 7 inches (subject to search). Get your official Bridge Day clear bag at https://fayette-county-chamber-of-commerce.square.site/.

—Fold-up strollers are allowed, but will be searched at the gate.

—Driving across the bridge from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. is a no-no unless you are an integral part of the success and safety of the event, either working in a volunteer capacity or as a member of one of the many emergency service teams. If not, please take the posted detours.

—Spectators can walk or ride a bike down to the river to watch the event unfold, but keep in mind it is a 4+ mile distance one way and that you yield the road to motorized vehicles. No unauthorized vehicles will be allowed into the gorge via Fayette Station Road on the day of the event.

----Travel advisory: U.S. Rte 19 will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 21.

Affected travel corridors include: In West Virginia, U.S. Route 19 from I-64/I-77 and I-79 exits; West Virginia Route 16; and U.S. Route 60.

Note that US-19 north and south will be closed on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Travel on the bridge or in the vicinity during this time is limited to event, emergency and security personnel; no exceptions. Expect heavier than usual vehicle and pedestrian traffic for the Bridge Day celebration.

For travel on I-79 through southern West Virginia: If you do not plan to attend Bridge Day, stay on either Interstate 79 and/or Interstate 77 and go through Charleston.

For travel on US-19 during event highway closure hours, motorists will need to take a detour (From the north: Exit US-19S onto US-60W through Ansted. Then take WV-16S to US-19S intersecting south of the New River Gorge Bridge; From the south: Exit US-19N onto WV-16N in Fayetteville. Follow WV-16N to US-60 E through Ansted. This will intersect US-19N well north of the bridge.

Tour operators attending the event are urged to contact Tim Naylor at 304-465-5617 for logistical and parking arrangements.

Email: skeenan@register-herald.com; follow on Facebook