By Debbie Clark
One of the new additions to the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge is the Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow Bridge is the creative work of artist Amy Wald, who designed and built the bridge. Here is the story of how our Bridge came to be.
The idea to create a pet memorial started with a simple request from Diane Miller who recently lost her dog Rocky. She contacted a bridge volunteer to see if we could do something special for her dog and something for all pet owners who have lost a pet. After some discussion and sharing of ideas, the Rainbow Bridge idea was born. Diane became a new volunteer on the bridge and with the help of Amy, the Rainbow Bridge became a reality.
The bridge, painted in the colors of a rainbow stands near the River’s Edge Dog Garden located near the Broad River. White painted paw prints start up the colorful bridge and slowly disappear. Visitors can walk over the bridge to read the poem “Rainbow Bridge” and leave a pet collar, name tag or other pet tags. The collars are attached to the wood rails of the bridge and tags by small chains that are provided. The Rainbow Bridge has become that special place where people can honor and remember their pets.
Upcoming Flower Bridge Events for July and August 2022
New Features
“Fanciful Fairy Gardens” runs from June 7th to September 7th. Plan to visit the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge for the annual return of the Fairy Gardens. This year’s theme is “Fanciful Fairy Gardens” and our volunteers will have some very creative fairy gardens made from repurposed items. This is a great time for children to visit the bridge and to search for those whimsical fairies.
Gardening Classes – All classes are free to attend and last for 1 hour. Classes are conducted at the Flowering Bridge Welcome Terrace located on the west end near the parking lot.
Tuesday – July 26 at 10:00 a.m. “Botanical Sun Printing on Fabric”
This class is a “Make and Take” workshop led by the members of the Lake Lure Artist. Learn how to use plants and the sun to make a botanical print scarf. This is a great way to learn a new hobby or make some Christmas gifts for family and friends. Join us for this fun workshop.
Tuesday – August 23 at 10:00 a.m. “Pruning Basics”
Not sure how to prune that hydrangea? Pruning seems a bit overwhelming? This class will teach you how to prune your shrubs and trees and answer your questions on pruning. We will spend hands on time pruning some shrubs on the bridge. Join Master Gardener and LLFB Garden Co-chair Debbie Clark for this class.
Start saving your seed from your garden for a seed swap on September 27 during our class “Seed Saving, Storing and Swapping”. More to come on this class.
Debbie Clark is a retired Master Gardener, Lake Lure Flowering Bridge volunteer and LLFB board member. Visit and join her Facebook site for more gardening at “Hickory Nut Gorge Gardeners”.
