"Riverfest commemorates the involvement the river towns of Columbia and Wrightsville had in the Civil War," said Sophia Vayansky, Columbia Crossing River Trails Center program coordinator. "It's a really nice opportunity for us to connect to that larger, national story, but also connect to and feature local stories."
Riverfest will be held from Friday, June 23, through Sunday, June 25. Activities will take place throughout Columbia, Wrightsville and Marietta, all with the goal of highlighting the 160th anniversary of the burning of the bridge over the Susquehanna River during the Civil War.
The weekend will be full of heritage walks, talks, trolley tours and more. "We have an architectural tour premiering this year, and that's going to focus on all of the different styles of buildings you'll find in Columbia," Vayansky noted. Hosted by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, architectural tours will run all three days and will leave from the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, 41 Walnut St.
Also new this year, bus tours will be offered in Wrightsville, featuring actors portraying notable characters from the town's Civil War history.
Additional tours will include paddling on the river, rides on the Chief Uncas river boat, an iron industry-focused tour and exploration of the Burning of the Bridge diorama in Wrightsville. A river recreation expo will be held at Columbia River Park from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 24, and a Riverfest music street fair will run from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday along Front Street in Marietta.
Most of the tours require preregistration, and early sign-up is encouraged, said Megan Salvatore, visitor services representative for Columbia Crossing. "Last year, we sold out of all of our heritage tours, so we made a huge effort to bulk it up and provide more activities this year," she noted. "We added more activities for kids ... to make it fun for the whole family." Kids' activities will include Bucket Brigade Races with prizes on Saturday from 10:15 to 11 a.m. at Columbia River Park.
"There are so many things happening with Riverfest and so many things people have yet to discover in our river towns," Salvatore stated. "We want to invite people to rediscover the area or discover it for the first time."
Vayansky emphasized that although history is a big part of Riverfest, the weekend incorporates both education and fun. "We will be having music, paddle tours, kids' activities and lots more," she said. "Even though it's all centered around commemorating a historic event, it's also an opportunity to have some summertime fun."
For more information about Riverfest, including a complete schedule of events, visit https://riverfestpa.com.
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