EATON — After a week of dreary weather, mild temperatures and sunny skies greeted revelers at the Roberts Bridge on Thursday, May 19, for an outdoor happy hour reception thrown by the Preble County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. Approximately 50 attended the ‘Party on the Bridge,’ the first in a series of events celebrating 2016 as “The Year of the Covered Bridge.”
An array of hors d’oeuvres and desserts were served along with a variety of cheeses and fresh fruits, and on an adjacent property, recently opened Olde Schoolhouse Vineyard and Winery poured flights of their most popular selections for an enthusiastic crowd. Jazz classics by Horace Silver, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk drifted through the air, and toward the end of the evening, several families of geese and ducks appeared and put on a show for the remaining guests.
“It’s really cool to see preservation of our history,” said David Sparks, 43rd District candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives. Impressed with Schoolhouse’s blackberry wine, he continued, “It’s great to be able to relax at an event that doesn’t have an agenda and just be able to talk to people and take in some sun and enjoy this delicious wine and celebrate a historic structure in a casual way.”
“We couldn’t have gotten better weather, that’s for sure,” said CVB president Stephanie Garrett. “I’m glad so many people could come out and show their love for this bridge with us.”
On Sept. 8, the CVB will host a full sit-down dinner on the bridge.