Zanesville is not only Ohio’s second state capital (1810-1812), home to the Muskingum County Courthouse (which is fun to say aloud), and city once known as the “Pottery Capital of the World” – it’s the holder of a very unique bridge…
…shaped like a “Y.”
The only bridge of its kind in the United States, the Y-Bridge was originally constructed in 1814 in this area over the Licking and Muskingum rivers. Floods caused the destruction of previous incarnations of the bridge until dams and locks put a better control on the rivers.
Now the Y-Bridge, currently in its fifth version and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is something more than a unique bridge for road travelers to check out…
…it’s the location of a rather special arts festival.
Thanks to the efforts of local artist Linda Regula and the cooperation of the mayor, county commissioners and the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Y-Bridge Arts Festival is celebrated…
…right there on the bridge.
Having been to many art festivals, I had to admit that the festival’s location on a bridge piqued my curiosity and I made a point to drive over from Columbus, parking just east of the bridge and walking over.
As I headed west on East Main Street…
…I saw a stage for poetry, music and dance…
…a row of food vendors…
…which included food trucks and local ice cream (Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl)…
…and a kids’ area just south of the bridge…
…where there were pottery and art activities…
…free books…
…a jump house…
…some living history from the Civil War…
…and some not-as-lively history from days a little further back.
Down by the dinosaur…
…the artists’ booths called to me from the bridge…
…and it became hard not to listen.
I admired large metal sculptures that lined the sides of the bridge…
…and enjoyed art that was being created on-site.
I browsed through the vendor booths, chatting with many artists and admiring their work. Some of the things that caught my eye included…
…the playful metal and fiber art pieces…
…the energetic, imaginative paintings (Brigitta Sabatini Smith)…
…the eye-catching jewelry (Theresa Kanavel)…
… and the handwovens created by a Reiki Master and ordained minister.
There were critters I purchased…
…and critters I wished I had purchased.
But, after talking with local art-related organizations…
…like Z.A.A.P. and the Zanesville Museum of Art…
…I realize it may not be too late to get reconnected with the artist and nab a rooster table for the living room.