Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
MILLTOWN – A crowd of at least 100 gathered on the grass Saturday to take in a historic moment for a Crawford County town.
Milltown residents celebrated the lighting of the Milltown bridge with a free movie night, games and snacks for kids.
“It was great. We had a way bigger turnout than we expected, over 100,” said Erin Henry, member of the Milltown Economic Development Committee. “At one point I looked at the mill lot, which is where the mill used to sit and now it’s a grassy area with a perfect view of the bridge, and it was covered with people.”
The lighting of the bridge was a monthslong effort for the town that began in 2023 with a Bridge the Gap dinner and fundraiser.
A successful crowdfunding campaign raised $10,000 that was matched with a $10,000 grant from Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s CreatINg Places program.
The bridge will have permanent LED color-changing lights that can be changed to coincide with holidays.
Henry said Duke Energy still has some work to do and once that’s finished – likely in a couple of weeks – the lights will be on permanently.
Summer is a busy season for the small river town of less than 1,000 residents. Cave Country Canoes, a canoe and kayak rental business that offers several river trip options, brings about 30,000 visitors every year to the town.
Cave Country also has camping sites, plans special events along the Blue River and operates Out of the Blue coffee and ice cream.
For Sherri Nail, owner of Cave Country Canoes, the bridge lights are another example of what’s happening in the town.
“Milltown is rebranding itself as a place of leisure and recreation,” she said.
On the day of the bridge lighting, Nail said she watched as a Scout group came off their river trip, a motorcycle group cruised through and a horse and buggy was parked in town.
“That river is bringing so many people to Milltown,” she said. “It’s a great place to cruise to. Even if you’re not doing a canoe trip, you can enjoy the river, stop for an ice cream and see the lights.”
Lighting the bridge is something the town had talked about doing for some time, but the town couldn’t afford it. Henry said the CreatINg Places program made it possible. The bridge, coupled with other events the town plans around Cave Country Canoes events that draw large crowds are creating new interest in revitalizing Milltown.
“Several generations of my family live in Milltown. For a while, we saw a lot of people not taking an interest in local events but now people want to be involved and help,” Henry said. “It’s becoming a community that’s alive again.”
The town has two listings on Airbnb and work is under way renovating a house that, when finished, will be the third Airbnb.
Cave Country Canoes is a primary destination for visitors to Milltown. Nail said the upcoming Memorial Day weekend PaddleFest will kick off the season with a 50-mile trip over four days. Other popular events include a women’s weekend, Full Moon Float and Twilight Canoe and Dinner for Two. New this year is Water to Wine, which pairs a canoe trip with a wine tasting from Best Vineyards Winery of Elizabeth.
The lights on the bridge add to the town’s appeal.
“Already, every kid in Milltown rides their bike down there. I think the lights are going to be enjoyed by a lot of people,” she said.
Upcoming events in Milltown
May 31-June 2: PaddleFest at Cave Country Canoes; car show, river trips, camping, live music, food trucks and vendors.
Aug. 16-18. Milltown Festival: Live music, food truck and car show.
Sept. 21: Bridge the Gap dinner and fundraiser on the Milltown bridge. Tickets are $100/per couple. Proceeds to be used for future town beautification projects.