WINTERSET, IA – The Madison County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors says it has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Madison County Covered Bridge Festival that was to be held October 10-11. We are saddened by this outcome and will miss the joy of coming together and making memories with family, friends, and guests to our community.

Officials say “The Madison County Covered Bridge Festival is a long-standing tradition in our community that is well attended by both vendors and patrons, as well as guests from across Iowa and the Midwest. It is of the utmost importance to our organization and to the community that its integrity and quality is maintained. This 50-year-old community celebration of Madison County’s history and heritage needs to be a full-on celebration. In order to have the Festival this year, while maintaining safe social distances and hygienic practices, many elements that make our event special and unique would have been eliminated, and it would simply not be the same event that residents and visitors know and love. Sponsorship cutbacks, decreased vendor participation, fewer volunteers, and the added costs for preventive measures weighed heavily on our decision.”

The Board said also, “We are obligated to our sponsors, vendors, and other partners to give them time to make their own business decisions. All of us are mindful of the economic impact that the Covered Bridge Festival has on our community and know that our locally-owned and operated small businesses and non-profit groups need our support now more than ever. While the Madison County Covered Bridge Festival will take a year off, a group of volunteers from the planning committee is exploring ways to safely celebrate our community’s history and heritage this fall, as well as to adopt a few events that can better incorporate social distancing.” More information will be announced as they continue making those plans.

All sponsors, artisans, crafters, and vendors are invited to return for the 2021 Madison County Covered Bridge Festival, which will be held October 9-10, 2021.