Bridgeless Bridge Fest Trudges On

MOSCOW, Ind. -- A covered bridge -- a piece of a Rush County community's rich history that was decimated by a tornado in June 2008 -- is still in the process of being rebuilt, but that didn't stop the community from forging ahead with an annual celebration of the bridge.

The Moscow Covered Bridge Festival has commemorated the 122-year-old, 330-foot double arch bridge for the last 24 years, 6News' Jennifer Carmack reported.

Video Archive: Uncut: Rush County Tornado Damage -- June 2008

As work continues to reconstruct the bridge, this year's festival holds special meaning.

"They always did want the goal to be to help the county take care of the bridge," said Suzanne Kendall, of the bridge restoration committee. "Now, we're really trying to help the county take care of getting the covered bridge back."

The bridge was leveled by a tornado that swept through the small community, killing one person. It structure didn't take a direct hit, but all of its boards were strewn about the creek it used to span.

Almost immediately after the storm, the effort began to rebuild the town's vital piece of history.

"People say, 'When are you going to start on this bridge?'" Kendall said. "It's been started. It's been worked on all winter long."

More than $100,000 has been raised, and earlier this week, the committee landed a grant from Eli Lilly for more than $350,000.

Builder Dan Collum will restore the bridge meticulously, piece by piece.

"We are using as much of the old timber as we possibly can," Collum said.

The town still needs about $40,000 to complete the project. Framing on the bridge will begin in a few weeks.