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October 12, 2007

Hundreds of vendors set up booths preparing for 51st Parke County Covered Bridge Festival

‘Town has been filling up for a week,’ Rockville native says

By Arthur E. Foulkes

ROCKVILLE — The smell of fried food was already in the air Thursday in the town of Mansfield as hundreds of vendors busily set up their booths preparing for the 51st Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, which begins today.

All-terrain vehicles and golf carts zig-zagged around the small community as trucks and campers were being unloaded and tents erected in last minute preparations for the expected onslaught of tens of thousands of festivalgoers.

One day prior to the festival’s start, Mansfield was already buzzing with activity.

“It’s a lot of work,” said Carolyn Ballard of Linton. She, her husband Bob and their grandson Nick were busy setting up their antique and collectibles booths on the south side of Raccoon Creek in Mansfield.

The Ballards, who have been selling at the Covered Bridge Festival since the mid-1990s, enjoy the 10 day festival. “It’s the only vacation we get,” Carolyn said with a laugh.

Apart from antiques, crafts and collectibles, other vendors at Mansfield were getting ready to sell everything from landscaping stones and power tools to NASCAR memorabilia, sunglasses, hats, rugs, trailer lights and much more.

Hundreds of different foods will also be available at the festival, including barbecue sandwiches, smoked sausage, Italian beef, turkey legs, pizza, funnel cakes, donuts, chicken gizzards and much more.

“It’s fun [and] a lot of work,” said Caroline Yanovic of Hobart in Northern Indiana. Yanovic, whose parents started working the festival over 20 years ago, was busy Thursday getting her leather goods, including belts, purses, brief cases and wallets, ready for the festival. It takes three or four days just to set up for business, Yanovic said.

A few miles away in Rockville more vendors were setting up Thursday under the large tent that covers much of the lawn around the county courthouse. A much smaller festival grounds than the acres and acres of tents and booths in Mansfield, Rockville had a less busy feel, but clearly a lot of preparation work was still underway.

“The first weekend [of the festival] is always big,” said Louise Myers of Marshall, who operates Down on the Farm Crafts with her husband Larry. They sell wooden bowls, Christmas ornaments and other crafts. “We must love it or we wouldn’t do it,” Louise Myers said smiling.

“It’s so much work,” said Brigitte Carver, who has been selling hand-painted Christmas ornaments and little baskets, dried flowers, and potpourri at the festival since the late 1970s. Carver’s stand is also under the tent at Rockville.

Also under the tent in Rockville the smell of caramel corn was in the air Thursday as Don Wirth and his daughters, Darla Wirth and Shelli Hill got ready for yet another year of festival business. The Wirth family of Parke County has been selling popcorn and caramel corn at the Covered Bridge Festival since it started in 1957.

“We really enjoy it,” said Darla Wirth. Many of the same people come to their caramel corn stand year after year, she said.

Something else in the air Thursday in Rockville was the smell of pumpkin butter being cooked over a wood fire by Gary Smith and Bo Allee of Rockville. Bo’s wife Madonna Dooley has been selling pumpkin butter at the bridge festival for around 35 years, Allee said.

“The town has been filling up for a week,” Smith said of Rockville, which is one of the three big festival towns, along with Mansfield and Bridgeton.

Other small Parke County communities, such as Tangier, Rosedale, Mecca and Montezuma also have activities, shopping and food available for the entire 10 days of the festival, organizers said.

Even in Vigo County, along U.S. 41 north of Terre Haute, yard sales and small flea markets were already springing up along the road to take advantage of festival traffic and eager shoppers.

“Anything unusual, unique and ugly really sells,” Carolyn Ballard said with a laugh at her stand in Mansfield. The Ballards also see many of the same people each year, they said, adding that being at the festival helps direct people to the couple’s antique shop – Country Store – in Linton. Their items for sale at Mansfield include antique furniture, butter churns, milk bottles and painted lawn sprinklers.

Not far from the Ballards, another stand was being set up Thursday afternoon in Mansfield – Jones Formula 23, where shoppers can sample or buy the alternative, spray-on pain reliever known as Jones Formula 23. “We look forward to coming back each year,” said Andrew Jones, who operates the stand and said he enjoys getting a chance to work outdoors. “I love it,” he said.

The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival runs from today through Sunday, Oct. 21.

Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

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