FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY)—The infamous New River Gorge Bridge attracts thousands of people every year for one day.
“So, on Bridge Day, the third Saturday of every October, we shut down Route 19 and throw the biggest one-day festival in the state of West Virginia,” said Tim Naylor, Executive assistant, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. “We have over 150 vendors and over 300 base jumpers coming to parachute off of the bridge.”
However, before bridge day, there was just the bridge. It was constructed in 1977 to help with significant transportation issues through the gorge. The communities surrounding the gorge had to take a trip down the mountain and across the fayette station bridge to cross the gorge.
When it opened on October 22nd, 1977, it reduced the almost 45-minute drive through the gorge to less than a minute. It’s opening day started what bridge day was supposed to be.
“On that day they did a dedication and had a walk across the bridge. Then, in 1979, the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce decided to do another bridge walk,” explained Naylor. “That has been determined to be peak foliage season. So on a general year, that’s when the leaves are going to be the best. And that’s kind of what bridge day started out as as a day for people to come and check out, you know, the gorge from that perspective.”
That perspective was from the world’s longest steel arch bridge, which was built at the time. So, after almost 50 years, the bridge continues to stand proud at 876ft, but its one-day festival had quite a unique start: This man was the first person to jump off the new river gorge bridge. While not legal then, it inspired the bridge day we know today.
That man is Burton Ervin.
In 1979, he base jumped off the bridge and was arrested by police after safely landing in the river. It did, however, spark a new idea for the area.
“Then after that, he said, this could be something that we could do, and brought it to the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce,” said Naylor. “And then, a couple of years later, base jumping really popped off.”
November 8th, 1980, became the first official bridge day as we know it today. They celebrate 45 years this bridge day and can’t wait to see how the next 45 will be.
