HINDSVILLE (KFSM) -- The War Eagle Mill Arts & Crafts Fair is two weeks away and city officials and residents gathered at the mill to cut the ribbon on the renovated historic bridge.
"I'm so thankful that the bridge is open in time for the fair this year, I grew up going to the fair my dad was one of the first exhibitors," said a woman that lives nearby.
The historic bridge closed for repairs last spring after being damaged in severe flooding. Residents and visitors were forced to take a half-hour detour just to get to the mill.
"Living on one side, it was a pretty good inconvenience for me to have to drive a good 30 to 40 minutes just to come to the mill," Lisa Mills said.
Because the craft fair was scheduled for mid-October, fair board members gave Benton County and construction crews a strict deadline.
"Their equipment was basically sitting where our fair would take place, you know where the tents go up so we wouldn't have been able to put the tents up," said board member Fred Sutton.
Despite the definite deadline, Sutton and other board members pleaded with the county to make sure the new repairs would last for the next few decades.
"One of the things I talked with the county and the county was committed to do was not just patch the bridge but fix the bridge where it lasts you know 30, 40 years before we even have to get to this point again," Sutton said.
The War Eagle Mill Fall Arts & Crafts Fair is set to start Thursday (Oct.19) and will end Sunday (Oct.22).