Festival-Goers Recall Their First Bridge Day

There\'s nothing like it in the world! Bridge Day is the largest extreme sports festival of its kind, and it\'s a memorable experience for many.

"Watching the (BASE) jumpers for the first time was nerve-racking," said Kyle Solar. "You\'re thinking, \'C\'mon, just pull your parachute! Please!\' Then they do and you\'re like, \'Ahhhhh!\' Then the next one goes and you start the whole process all over again."

After his second year, he said he still gets nervous for every jump he watches. Kyle originally came to spend time with his family, but returned because he enjoyed watching the BASE jumpers and the freebies the vendors give out.

John Marcum, although a Mingo County, WV, resident, hadn\'t attended Bridge Day until he joined Jennifer Comer this year. She lives nearby, and was excited to show him the festival and the Fayetteville area.

"It\'s fun!" she said. "Everybody should come to Bridge Day at least once."

John enjoyed watching the leaps, and also the crowd— he laughed at another festival-goer with a "Don\'t jump!" sign.

They both agreed the food was one of the highlights, including the Chili Cook-Off in town after the festival.

"I\'m fascinated with how many people are here," said another first-year arrival, Sarah White. "I\'m not sure what I was expecting, but this was not it."

Sarah had never even heard of Bridge Day until her friend, Jessie Kessler, brought her this year. Jessie also talked Sarah into going on the highline.

Jessie said she\'s been to Bridge Day maybe 20 times, and part of the reason she loves coming back and sharing the festival with friends is the food. The gyros and funnel cakes, specifically. Oh, and the costumes.

"One year, I came out here, and a bunch of people jumped off the Bridge in bunny suits," she recalled. "There were about 6 of them, all in pink."

Brian Lawrence said he was working in the area, and just decided to come this year when he saw signs for the event.

"We saw a couple of jumps, and saw a guy land in the trees down there," he said. "We\'re just going to browse around and see what everyone\'s got to offer. I\'m mostly looking forward to watching more of the guys jump."

He said he liked watching, but wouldn\'t do it himself.

Do you remember your first Bridge Day?