Each fall, as the leaves in Madison County begin to turn, thousands make their way to Winterset for a celebration that bridges history, community and art — literally.
The annual Covered Bridge Festival, now more than 50 years old, honors the county's six remaining covered bridges. Built between 1868 and 1889, their unique flat-roofed design is now rare in the United States. They were originally covered for practical reasons — an economic measure that protected the timber trusses from the elements — but have since become symbols of craftsmanship and nostalgia.
They've also served as artistic inspiration. Beyond countless photographs and paintings of the bridges settled against the picturesque background of Madison County in the fall, they're the centerpiece and namesake of the beloved 1992 book The Bridges of Madison County, by Iowan Robert James Waller, which sparked a film and musical adaptation.
This year, the film starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood turns 30. To celebrate, the festival has invited Waller's daughter to share stories about her father and the creation of the book.
But the media created because of the bridges has inspired artists far beyond Winterset. New York-based actress Christine Hope fell in love with the musical version of the story when it opened on Broadway in 2014. Her fascination and "slight obsession with bridges" led her to Winterset's festival twice to see them for herself. When she learned about the film's upcoming anniversary, she reached out "on a whim" to Megan Barrett, the managing director of Winterset's historic Iowa Theater, for the chance to come to the town for a special performance.
Barrett was keen on accepting the offer as an opportunity to continue to celebrate the bridges' connection to the arts.
“We really like to infuse this kind of fine arts aspect of our community, along with the tradition of the bridges and the story and the history of our community," she said. "When the musical first came out in 2014, the lead singers came to Madison County and did a little preview performance for us, but we’ve never really had a big spotlight feature on the musical version of the story before."
On Oct. 11 and 12, Hope will perform at the festival as the musical's central character, Francesca Johnson, in a concert version of the show featuring nine songs and a cast of local performers.
Hope’s admiration for Johnson, an Italian war bride who grapples with love, identity and belonging in her rural town, runs deep. She herself grew up in a small rural town in Ohio.
“I think that as a woman of a certain age, as you grow older and you see life come and pass you by and you experience all kinds of love, you start to understand what Francesca’s story is about,” she said. “She has this life that she’s devoted herself to, but she is so much more than that."
For Barrett, that resonance is part of what keeps the Covered Bridge Festival meaningful.
“Winterset, I think, is a very intentional place where we focus on the things that make our community special and amazing,” she said. “This is little Winterset, Iowa, right? I mean, Francesca lived in little Winterset, Iowa, and felt like it was kind of a pond-type place, as opposed to an ocean. But here in our little pond, we’re making cool things happen. And I really like that about living here."
The 55th annual Covered Bridge Festival will take place Oct. 11-12 in Winterset.
