10/02/2026
🛑 **PARKE COUNTY COVERED BRIDGE FESTIVAL – SAFETY MESSAGE** 🍁
It’s almost festival time in Parke County!
Over the next several days, our normally quiet communities will transform as thousands of visitors arrive to experience the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival. From our historic covered bridges and beautiful fall scenery to great food, shopping, and small-town hospitality, there is a lot to enjoy throughout the county.
With that many people traveling our roads and gathering in our communities, however, comes a little extra responsibility for all of us.
Whether you are visiting for the first time, returning for another year, working as a vendor, or simply calling Parke County home, we ask everyone to take a few simple precautions, remain aware of their surroundings, and show a little extra patience.
Our public-safety agencies will be working throughout the festival to help keep everyone safe. You can help us by keeping these safety reminders in mind:
🔒 PERSONAL SAFETY & SECURITY
• Keep your purse, wallet, phone, and other valuables secured at all times.
• Inspect cash you receive to ensure it is legitimate—even smaller bills.
• Be cautious when using credit or debit cards and watch for anything unusual that could indicate a card-skimming device.
• Always lock your vehicle and home, and don't leave valuables visible inside parked vehicles.
• Be aware of your surroundings. Report suspicious behavior, unattended packages, fires, medical emergencies, or other unsafe conditions to public-safety personnel.
🚗 TRAFFIC, PARKING & PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
Festival traffic can become extremely heavy, particularly during peak hours.
• Slow down and stay alert. Expect sudden stops, pedestrians crossing roadways, unfamiliar drivers, and temporary traffic patterns.
• Avoid distracted driving and give yourself extra travel time.
• Never stop in a travel lane to load or unload passengers.
• When parking, do not block roadways, driveways, fire lanes, gates, hydrants, or emergency-access areas.
• Watch carefully for pedestrians, especially children and elderly visitors.
🚒 PLEASE KEEP EMERGENCY ACCESS OPEN
Our fire, EMS, and law-enforcement personnel still have emergencies to respond to throughout the festival.
A vehicle blocking a roadway, driveway, gate, or emergency-access point can delay responders when minutes matter.
Please park only in designated or appropriate areas and follow the directions of traffic and public-safety personnel.
👨👩👧 FAMILY & CHILD SAFETY IN CROWDED AREAS
• Consider dressing your family in matching or brightly colored clothing so everyone is easier to spot.
• Take a current photo of your child before heading to the festival. If you become separated, responders will know exactly what your child is wearing.
• Establish a family meeting point before entering crowded areas.
📍 In Mansfield, public-safety personnel are located at the south entrance of the Civic Center at the blue command vehicle.
📍 In Bridgeton, assistance is available at the firehouse.
• Teach children that if they become separated, they should stay in the general area and seek help from a uniformed police officer, firefighter, EMS provider, or clearly identified festival official.
• Place a parent or guardian's phone number in your child's pocket or somewhere securely on them.
• Keep your phone charged and make sure both the ringer and vibration are enabled.
📱 Remember that cellular service can become limited when thousands of people are concentrated in one area. Text messages may sometimes go through when phone calls will not.
📍 KNOW YOUR LOCATION
If you need emergency assistance, be prepared to tell the dispatcher exactly where you are.
Festival activities are spread across Parke County and simply saying "I'm at the Covered Bridge Festival" may not be enough information for responders to locate you quickly.
Look for a road name, intersection, nearby business, covered bridge, landmark, booth/vendor location, or other recognizable feature that you can provide to the dispatcher.
Knowing your location can help us get the right resources to you faster.
🩺 MEDICAL SAFETY
Festival days can involve considerable walking, long periods outdoors, changing temperatures, and crowded conditions.
• Bring any necessary medications or medical supplies with you.
• If you have significant medical conditions, consider carrying basic emergency medical information.
• Stay hydrated, eat regularly, and take breaks when needed.
• Wear comfortable footwear and dress appropriately for changing fall temperatures.
• Remember that heavy festival traffic may result in longer travel and emergency-response times in some areas.
🐕 PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING PETS AT HOME
Festival crowds can be stressful and unpredictable for animals. Each year, close quarters and interactions between unfamiliar pets can lead to aggressive behavior, fights, and injuries to animals or people.
When possible, we strongly encourage visitors to leave pets safely at home. If you do bring a pet, keep it on a secure leash and under control at all times, avoid close interactions with unfamiliar animals, and never leave a pet unattended in a vehicle.
🌦️ BE PREPARED FOR CHANGING WEATHER
October weather in Indiana can change quickly.
Check the forecast before heading out, dress appropriately, and pay attention to changing conditions throughout the day.
If severe weather threatens, follow instructions from public-safety officials and festival personnel.
🚨 IF YOU NEED HELP
For an EMERGENCY, dial 911 immediately and be prepared to provide your exact location, what happened, how many people are involved, and any immediate hazards.
For NON-EMERGENCY concerns, contact the Parke County Sheriff's Office at 765-569-5413 so 911 lines remain available for emergencies.
📢 STAY INFORMED
During the festival, rely on official public-safety and government sources for information regarding emergencies, road closures, severe weather, or other important instructions.
Please avoid sharing unverified information or rumors on social media during an emergency.
🍁 WELCOME TO PARKE COUNTY!
We are proud to welcome visitors to our communities and hope everyone has an opportunity to enjoy the food, scenery, shopping, fellowship, and historic covered bridges that make this festival such a special Parke County tradition.
With a little preparation, patience, and awareness, we can all help make this year's festival a safe and enjoyable one.
Look out for one another, travel safely, and enjoy the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival! 🍁🚒🚑🚓
