COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa — Lover's Leap Swinging Bridge is 100 years old this year.
The Columbus Junction Parks & Recreation hosted a small festival Sunday to celebrate the occasion. Moon bounces, face painting booths, a mariachi band, music and food trucks were all present.
It is the third iteration of a bridge that was originally built with wooden staves and wire over a ravine between 3rd Street and 4th Street in 1886.
Then in 1902 it was deemed unsafe so it was rebuilt two years later using wooden planks and stilts.
However, in 1920, Lewis and Jesse Tisor, two brothers, were walking over the bridge when it suddenly collapsed. The brothers said that when they hit the bottom of the ravine, they were standing upright.
So in 1922, with the help of a wealthy donor and funds raised by the local community, the bridge was once again rebuilt and still stands today in Columbus Junction.
It gets its name from the way the bridge swings left and right when people walk on it. But that doesn't stop some local residents like Lizz Hall, from making it a tradition to walk on it with friends and family.
"When I first met my husband, we came over here and walked across the bridge," Hall said. " And then we have three children and when they were little- they used to have no fear, run across the bridge and scared me to death."
But even as time and the weather passes, people of all ages still feel an adrenaline rush crossing the bridge.
"It looked nice; the trees," said 14-year-old Ivy Reschly. "I just liked it. Just to look at it from the top from the bridge."
When asked if Reschly liked heights, she said, "I wouldn't go any higher than that."
The bridge is checked every year by engineers. Despite the way it swings, city officials said it is indeed safe.