RoeblingFest 2009 has been scheduled for Sunday June 14 – Flag Day – from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The event takes place on the south bank of the Ohio River under the John A. Roebling Bridge. Access is from the foot of either Greenup Street or Madison Avenue in Covington, or directly from the bridge via the stairway from the downstream walkway. Parking is available nearby.
RoeblingFest features separate guided tours of the John A. Roebling Bridge, the Roebling Murals on the Covington floodwall, and the Riverwalk statues in the Licking Riverside Historic District. BB Riverboats will dock at the Fest to provide harbor tours.
The cost of the boat tours is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Each of the other tours is $2 per person, or $5 per family. All tours will last approximately 45 minutes.
Bridge tours are scheduled for noon, 1, 2, & 3 PM. Statute/Beard House tours are at noon and 2 p.m. Mural tours are at 1 & 3 PM. Harbor tours are also at noon and 2 p.m.
The historic suspension bridge was designed and built by John A. Roebling, and is the forerunner for his concepts for the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC. The bridge, linking Covington and Cincinnati, Ohio, was completed in 1867. At that time, it was the world’s longest with its center span of 1057 feet.
The murals are the work of renowned artist Robert Dafford. Eighteen murals depict the history of the Covington area. They were commissioned under the auspices of Legacy, an organization of young professionals working to improve various aspects of the Northern Kentucky community.
The statues were an outgrowth of the Greater Cincinnati Riverwalk project for the Cincinnati Bicentennial in 1988. There are seven statues of historically significant individuals including one of John A. Roebling. The statue tours will end with a visit to the boyhood home of Daniel Carter Beard.
This will be the fifth annual RoeblingFest. It will also include an historic photograph display, craft booths, vintage dancers and music, Civil War memorabilia, various activities for children food and non-alcoholic drinks
RoeblingFest is an activity of the Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Committee, Inc. (CCSBC). The citizens group is responsible for providing the national and state flags that fly atop the bridge towers, and also for financing the maintenance of the decorative lighting on the bridge.
The CCSBC Web site is roeblingbridge.com.
