The surrounding Susquehanna National Heritage Area will be flooded by ongoing action and activities all weekend, marking the eagerly anticipated return of the annual Riverfest celebration. A long-running summertime festival made possible every year by a partnership between the Susquehanna National Heritage Area (NHA) and Rivertownes PA, USA, Riverfest is a massive weekend-long event with a two-fold mission. It is, of course, a fun way to celebrate the Susquehanna River and honor the uniqueness of the surrounding river towns of Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville. But the tradition was first and foremost founded to commemorate a significant historical event that occurred here during the Civil War—the burning of the famous Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge by locals to prevent Confederate troops from crossing the Susquehanna. Each year’s celebration takes place the last full weekend in June. This year’s event will commence on Friday, June 28, and conclude on Sunday, June 30.
The Bridge Burning Backstory
The ongoing Riverfest celebrations of today encompass a host of riparian follies, catering to guests of all ages and interests. But as I previously mentioned, the festival was initially established to commemorate the historic burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge. While this act was pivotal in preventing the Confederates from invading Lancaster and advancing toward the cities of Harrisburg and Philadelphia, it is a surprisingly underrated account that often gets overshadowed by more famous ones in the history books. So here is a brief recounting of the event as it unfolded.
It was in June of 1863 when Confederate troops invaded the state of Pennsylvania, spreading across the southern-central regions, targeting and raiding small towns along the way. To prevent Lancaster from suffering the same fate as so many other targeted locales, citizens of the Susquehanna River towns joined forces to ward off Confederate advancement. A brief battle ensued, but with Confederate forces undeterred and Union troops outnumbered, there was just one drastic action left to take; they would set fire to the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge.
Back in the day, the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge was a highly relied-upon mode of travel and transport, connecting the land on both sides of the Susquehanna. The original wooden bridge structure was built in 1834 and spanned 5,620 feet long. At the time it held the record for the longest covered bridge in the world. Therefore, burning the bridge was a pretty big deal. But the last-ditch effort paid off, forcing the Confederates to retreat westward instead, toward Adams County. Just a few days later the three-day Battle of Gettysburg took place.
Riverfest Events
In addition to commemorating the area’s Civil War connection, Riverfest is a community-wide celebration of the Susquehanna River’s unchanging significance in general. As a result, the weekend presents a wide range of activities and attractions. Some events will be ongoing each day of the festival, while others will be featured on select dates and at specific times. Some of the festival’s crowning highlights include Trolley Tours, a large Outdoor Expo featuring various area vendors, and the Bridge Burner Run & Paddle Challenge. Localized heritage tours, lectures, and specific programs will also be showcased throughout the festival’s three-day run.
The official kick-off for Riverfest will be on Friday evening, June 28, beginning at 5 p.m. Live music by singer-songwriter Sarah Fiore will fill the evening along with kids’ activities and river tours aboard the historic Chief Uncas. There will also be tours at the First National Bank Museum and Susquehanna Riverlands State Park and a bus trip with the African American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania. Businesses will remain open later than usual with surrounding festivities concluding around 8 p.m. Most of the action will be centered around Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, 41 Walnut St., Columbia, Pennsylvania.
Festivities will start up again on Saturday, June 29, with a host of daylong offerings. Come by Columbia River Park between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to check out more than 20 businesses and organizations at the River Expo. Or take part in one of several ongoing Trolley Tours throughout the day. Again, there will also be various lectures and other historical presentations throughout the day on Saturday, provided by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, Marietta Old Town Hall Museum, Rivertownes PA USA, the Columbia Historic Preservation Society, and SNHA.
The Bridge Burner Challenge of such great renown is one of the weekend’s most popular highlights. These varying races include both on-land running and paddling excursions on the water. Click here to learn more about them. Also, take note of the special Kids’ Bucket Brigade happening at 10:15 a.m. Saturday.
The Riverfest Pub Crawl will also be taking place as well. Participating area venues will feature live bands and beer specials at their specific locations beginning at 1 p.m.
In addition to the continuation of the Bridge Burners Challenge races, River Expo, and Trolley Tours, Sunday, June 30 will present a profuse array of its own Riverfest happenings. One highlight will include Friends of Lebanon Cemetery-delivered lectures on local African Americans who defended the country during the Civil War. Walking tours and a screening of the film Glory (1989) will be showcased in tandem. Also, be sure to stop by the Historic Wrightsville, Inc.-operated Burning of the Bridge Diorama and Museum to check out the scene there, which will include a fundraiser sandwich sale.
Yet it’s the famed grand Ignite Finale at John Wright Restaurant (located at 234 N. Front St., Wrightsville) that tends to garner the most popularity. Come out to the restaurant lawn beginning at 3 p.m. for an array of entertaining endeavors, including musical performances by Stone Biskit and Abigail’s Garden. Then, at 7 p.m., Professor Leroy Hopkins from Millersville University will be on the scene to deliver an informative lecture about local African Americans who defended the Bridge that fateful day. Following all this will be a performance by the Teine Guardians at 8:40 p.m. and the moment everyone waits for most—the symbolic lighting of piers on the Susquehanna, to represent the historic burning of the Bridge.
Riverfest Weekend remains one of the Susquehanna National Heritage Area’s most popular annual summertime traditions. Its fame continues to grow as an area highlight event each passing year, drawing in more and more attendees, some even hailing from distant corners. Whether you’re already a faithful attendee each year or you’ve never been before, you won’t want to miss Riverfest 2024. To learn more about all of Riverfest’s offerings, including a complete schedule of events providing specific dates and times, visit www.riverfestpa.com.