Presented by KeyBank and hosted by the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce, Balloon Fest will be held Thursday, Aug. 27 and continue through Sunday, Aug. 30 at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds in Presque Isle.
Organizers said this year’s festival will feature even more activities for children and families.
“Our schedule is fairly full this year,” said Derik Smith, Balloon Fest chair. “There’s lots to do. We’ve added concerts, the County Spin-Off 2009, which is a fund-raiser for Ryan’s Heart, and at the end of the Spin-Off, they’re going to release 150 heart-shaped balloons to celebrate Presque Isle’s sesquicentennial. People will be able to buy a biodegradable balloon in memory of the loved ones our community has lost, write a message on it, and they will be released.
“One of the big, new events is the Presque Isle Kiwanis and KeyBank Youth Day at The Forum,” he said. “It’s a free event that will be fun for the whole family, but we really have things for all age groups. We have more musical acts than ever before, which seems to fit. If you look at a lot of the balloon festivals that are out there, they have a fairly strong musical component, so we’re hoping people will come out and support this so we can keep doing it and moving forward.”
The Youth Day will be held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. The Youth Day will include such activities as a teddy bear parade, cookie stacking contest, watermelon and pizza eating contests, games, inflatables, horse rides and more.
The special shape balloon this year will be Beagle “Max” Maximus, owned by pilot Kenny Shumate. Weather pending, Max will fly Saturday morning, and will be inflated for all to see Friday and Saturday evenings. The balloon is 119.7 feet long, 82 feet high, is 45.3 feet wide and weighs 522 pounds. Max can carry two riders plus his owner/pilot.
Smith said last year’s festival featured 15 hot air balloons.
“Some of those were pilots that came on their own,” he said. “With the economy, we’ve lost some sponsors, but we’re still looking forward to a wonderful festival.
“We’ve got both returning and new pilots this year,” said Smith. “We get our new pilots by asking our current pilots who they would recommend. One of the pilots – Tammie Lavoie – grew up in Washburn, so she’ll be returning home for the festival.”
Launches will be held Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with available pilots, as well as Friday and Saturday at both 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and 5:30 a.m. Sunday. There will also be balloon glows on Friday and Saturday nights.
“For a balloon glow, the pilots set up their balloons at dusk,” said Smith. “Then they use the burners to illuminate the envelope so it glows … it’s really quite pretty.”
Some pilots will take paying passengers during their flights. Those wishing to make arrangements for a flight should contact the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce at 207-764-6561.
Smith encourages people to participate in this year’s Balloon Fest.
“Hot air balloons are a magnificent experience. They’re beautiful to look at, and even more amazing to fly in,” he said. “They tend to make people feel good and happy, and who doesn’t want to feel good and happy?
“Balloons also make such fantastic photographs. There were more than a few entries in the photo contest at this year’s Northern Maine Fair that were balloon related,” said Smith. “I hope even the novices have fun taking pictures of the balloons. We’re holding our photo contest, as well, so people should look into submitting entries.”
The Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce previously co-wrote a grant to get tourism marketing money from the Maine Office of Tourism for the Maine Potato Blossom Festival, the Northern Maine Fair and the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest.
“Those funds made a huge difference for us,” said Smith. “We’ve never really had the money to go out and do television and radio spots the way we are, and it’s really helped. We’re seeing a benefit from the commercials that are running. We’ve been getting calls from downstate and out of the immediate area. That’s what the chambers wanted, and that’s exactly what’s happening.”
The schedule of events for the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest is as follows:
Thursday, Aug. 27
5:30 p.m. Balloon Launch.
Friday, Aug. 28
5:30 a.m. Balloon Launch.
5-7 p.m. Barbecue to benefit the Presque Isle Historical Society (Northern Maine Fairgrounds).
5:30 p.m. Ribbon Burning Ceremony.
5:30 p.m. Balloon Launch/Beagle Maximus display.
7 p.m. Ernie and the Automatics concert at the Presque Isle High School Auditorium. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Presque Isle’s Brian Mosher will be the opening act. The concert is presented by the PIHS Varsity Club.
Dusk Balloon Glow.
Saturday, Aug. 29
5:30 a.m. Balloon Launch/Beagle Maximus flight attempt.
7:30-10 a.m. Pilot and Crew Breakfast at the Masonic Hall on State Street in Presque Isle. Public welcome.
8 a.m. City Wide Yard Sale.
8:30-9:30 a.m. Paint Presque Isle Registration at the Northeastland Hotel.
9 a.m. KeyBank Charity Golf Scramble.
11 a.m.-3 p.m. Kiwanis/KeyBank Youth Day at The Forum.
3 p.m. “Music on the Riverside” (Riverside Park). Tigroid Substance and Jen Crowell. Free show. Rain location is Wieden Auditorium at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Sponsored by Taco Bell.
5-7 p.m. Benefit barbecue.
5:30 p.m. Balloon Launch/Beagle Maximus display.
6-10 p.m. Street Fest 2009, Main Street. Multi-Cultural Food Tasting from 6-8 p.m. ($3/person). Entertainment from 8-10 p.m. Vendors open at 6 p.m.
Dusk Balloon Glow, followed by the movie “Madagascar 2.” (Movie rain or shine).
9 p.m. “Live at the Connection” Clayton Sabine opens for The Leaves at the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center. $3 cover charge. Must be 21 or older. Sponsored by Taco Bell.
Sunday, Aug. 30
5:30 a.m. Balloon Launch
9 a.m.-Noon County Spin Off 2009 at County Physical Therapy.
Noon “Hearts for Heaven” Balloon Release.
Festival-long events include an amateur photo contest and window painting contest entries on display in downtown merchants’ windows.
Please note that all events are at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds unless otherwise noted. All balloon events are weather dependent, and launch sites may move to accommodate winds. For more information, log onto www.crownofmaineballoonfest.org.
