Southern W.Va. businesses expect big boost from Bridge Day foot traffic

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. (WVVA) - For many of the thousands of visitors arriving for Bridge Day, the annual event brings a Saturday filled with high adventure thrills. But for many of the surrounding shops, it also means big business. ‘Bridge Day’ pumps an estimated million dollars into the local economy and this year could be the biggest boost yet.

“We kind of saw it last week, but this week has really picked up with the out of towners,” said Kelley Weis, who owns the boutique ‘Out of the Ashes’ in downtown Fayetteville.

To learn about what’s driving tourists to this year’s event, WVVA News stopped by the Canyon Rim Visitor Center on Friday to poll tourists.

“We came to see people jump of the bridge,” said Abby Borak, who came all the way from Baltimore.

Barbara Delk traveled all the way from Georgia. “We came to see people jump off of the bridge. It’s not something that would ever enter my mind.”

While other shops may be waiting for Christmas and Black Friday to see their biggest sales of the season, businesses in downtown Fayetteville and the surrounding areas are banking on Bridge Day.

“Tomorrow will be the biggest day of the year since we haven’t had Bridge Day in a couple years. This is expected to be one of the largest gatherings in years,” said Weis.

In recent years, the state has embarked on a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to market the state’s tourism assets in other states. Whether people saw those ads or read about the newest National Park in magazines and newspapers, the word seems to be getting out.

“Our neighbors have been down here a few times,” said Borak on how he learned about Bridge Day.

The New River Gorge Bridge will close to traffic at seven in the morning on Saturday and will re-open at 5 p.m.