A BASE jumper falls toward the New River after jumping off of the New River Gorge Bridge during the 45th annual Bridge Day Saturday, Oct. 19. 2024. (Photo by Chris Dorst/Charleston Gazette-Mail)
Bridge Day, West Virginia’s largest one-day festival, will go on Saturday, even if the federal government is still shut down, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Tuesday.
The state is paying nearly $100,000 to keep its national parks — New River Gorge and Harpers Ferry — open despite the federal shutdown. That agreement ends Friday night, Morrisey said.
Morrisey said Tuesday he intends to extend that agreement with the federal government if federal operations have not resumed by then. If necessary, he’ll extend the agreement through the end of the month, he said.
Last year, the state’s tourism industry had a $9.1 billion economic impact, Morrisey said. In the past year, 1.8 million people have visited the New River Gorge National Park. More than 200,000 people visit the New River Gorge in October alone, he said.
Bridge Day, held annually on the third Saturday in October, draws tens of thousands of people to the New River Gorge National Park to see BASE jumpers parachute from the structure on the only day it’s legal. Last year, 325 certified BASE jumpers reportedly participated in the event. BASE stands for building, antenna, span (such as a bridge) and earth.
‘So this was not the time to be shut down,” Morrisey said.
Becky Sullivan, president of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, said as of Tuesday, more than 300 BASE jumpers have registered from 39 states and four countries have registered for Bridge Day. More than 200 repellers.
More than 500 people from 26 states have also registered to take part in a 5K race on the bridge Saturday morning, she said. More than 200 vendors from several states will participate in the festival as well.
“Bridge Day has a huge economic impact on Fayette County and our surrounding region,” Sullivan said. “The entire New River Gorge region benefits from Bridge Day. It is a huge event for our state. It is a huge event for our area.” She added her thanks to Morrisey and Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby that this year’s event will go on.
The federal government shut down at midnight Oct. 1 after Congress failed to approve a funding bill before the beginning of the new fiscal year to keep services running. At issue are enhanced health care subsidies that particularly impact West Virginians. Democrats in Congress want to see these subsidies included in the spending bill. Republicans do not.
The enhanced subsidies — which are for plans purchased on the Health Insurance Marketplace — are set to expire at the end of the year. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the subsidies expiring is projected to cause 4.2 million Americans to lose their health insurance by 2034.
Thousands of West Virginians in particular will be impacted if the health care subsidies end. About 67,000 West Virginians buy their health care on the marketplace. The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy said that West Virginians who buy insurance through the marketplace will see their premiums increase by an average of 133% or $1,400 annually if the subsidies end. If the premiums expire, about 15,000 West Virginians will lose their health care because they can no longer afford it, according to the Center on Budget and Policy.
