What's all the hullabaloo about? Our annual Labor Day Balloon Fest was a wonderful time with old and new friends. To start, the early fall weather arrived with too much wind for a launch on Saturday. No problem, the 47 degree morning at 6am on the field made breakfast very inviting.
With the weather making for a fine balloon launch on Monday morning we gathered just after the National Anthem was sung. The field was alive with families and balloon teams unraveling their equipment. This is an art folks! And tricky maneuvers are necessary to tip the basket with hot flames flaring while getting the balloon to inflate without burns! Oh boy.
It takes a couple rounds to get all the balloons off the ground at Memorial Park. This year we had about 70 or so arrive for Monday's event. The park is covered with on-lookers peering into the balloons as they take on their gigantic shape. Teams hold fast to ropes to keep them steady and from taking off before all is ready. Crowds cheer enthusiastically as each team has "lift off" and sails toward Prospect Lake to clear the tree tops. The challenge some balloons take is to ascend over the trees and quickly descend to the lake. With just the right amount of hot air they "touch" the surface of the lake with their bucket. More cheering!!
Once the second shift lifted off, and the morning sun warmed the air and grassy park, we retreated from the waters edge and headed off to breakfast...yum!
