This summer’s inaugural PDX Bridge Festival aims to foster appreciation and raise awareness of the Willamette River Bridges through cultural, artistic, education, and historical programming. Multnomah County’s Hawthorne Bridge, the oldest working vertical lift bridge in the country, will serve as the festival’s main attraction this year. 2010 marks the Hawthorne’s 100th year of service to our community.
According to festival organizers, the Hawthorne Bridge will exhibit an interactive lighting installation for several weeks, as well as a projection screen displaying historical and artistic content at the main event on Saturday, July 31. Plans also include a free concert near the bridge and a picnic on the Hawthorne Bridge, produced in conjunction with the Salvation Army. You can register for a drawing to attend the picnic on the bridge by simply buying a festival bumper sticker.
Festival organizers recently took a planning tour of the Hawthorne Bridge towers and produced a short video of their experience.
In addition to art installations on the Hawthorne and Burnside bridges, the festival will include exhibitions at a variety of venues, films, bridge tours, and performances held along the waterfront and in nearby venues. You can learn more at the PDX Bridge Festival website.
The PDX Bridge Festival is still looking for businesses to support this first annual event. For information on how to get involved, contact the event planners through their website. While there, you can also tell your own bridge story.