Annual Balloon Fest
soars to new heights
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
HOT AIR BALLOONS will fill the skies in the coming days as the seventh annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest will be held in Presque Isle Aug. 26-29. With 12 pilots scheduled to attend, spectators will want to be on the lookout for the colorful balloons.
PRESQUE ISLE – Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet are the seven colors of the rainbow, and those colors and more will fill the skies in the coming days as 12 hot air balloons are expected to participate in the seventh annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest.
Presented by KeyBank and hosted by the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce, Balloon Fest will be held Thursday, Aug. 26 and continue through Sunday, Aug. 29 at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds in Presque Isle.
BEAGLE “MAX” MAXIMUS will be the special shape balloon at this year’s Crown of Maine Balloon Fest. Oggy the Friendly Dragon, piloted by Ron Martin, was scheduled to appear, but due to a family emergency, Martin won’t be attending. Max is owned by pilot Kenny Shumate, who participated last year and is coming again this year. Shumate agreed to bring Max with him, which will please spectators of all ages. Weather pending, Max will fly Saturday morning, and will be inflated for all to see Friday and Saturday evenings.
“New this year is the ‘Ride Fly Ride,’” said Derik Smith, Balloon Fest chair. “We’re going to have a 20-mile cycling race Friday night and then Sunday morning, the top two people from the different divisions will fly in a balloon with their bicycles attached to the basket. The pilots will participate in a ‘Hound and Hare’ challenge; one pilot will fly out ahead, find a field, lay down a target and the pilots have to try to fly into that field and throw a beanbag onto the target.
“As soon as the balloons land, the cyclists will take their bikes off the basket and race back to the fairgrounds,” he said, “finding their own way back from the landing site. It should be interesting.”
This year the Presque Isle Lodge of Elks 1954 will host the Street Fair Thursday night from 4-10 p.m. in downtown Presque Isle.
ROLAND PERRY’S comedy magic will be among the special entertainment for children at Thursday night’s Street Fair, hosted by the Presque Isle Lodge of Elks 1954. Perry’s performance will be near the Braden Theater and Wilder’s Jewelry on Main Street, which will be closed to traffic from 4-10 p.m.
“The Elks have really picked the event up and run with it, which is really nice for us,” said Smith. “One of our objectives is to get as much of the community involved as possible, and it’s great to have one of our community pillars get involved. We already have the Kiwanis doing some things and Rotary has helped out some over the years. The more organizations involved the better and it helps bring home that ‘community feel’ that we’re looking for.”
The Street Fair will feature food, music, a car show, dunking booth, and much more.
Twelve pilots will be attending this year’s festival.
“We have three pilots who will be joining us for the first time, plus I’ll be flying in this year’s festival,” said Smith, who received his private pilot’s license earlier this year. “The pilots come in so early and stay so late that chances are you’ll see balloons as soon as the weather allows during that week and the week after. They want to get as much flying time in as possible because the flying in Aroostook County is absolutely amazing.”
Making a return appearance to the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest this year will be the special shape balloon, Beagle “Max” Maximus.
“We were going to have Oggy the Friendly Dragon, piloted by Ron Martin, but due to a family emergency, Ron won’t be attending,” said Smith. “Max is owned by pilot Kenny Shumate, who participated last year and is coming again this year. Kenny agreed to bring Max with him which we really appreciate.”
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.
“The special shape balloon always gets the kids excited. Ballooning is fun as it is, but the special shape one adds an element of fun,” he said. “People loved seeing Max last year. By having it on display, it gives people who don’t necessarily want to chase balloons something to look at, talk about and take pictures of. It also holds the crowd there until we get back for the balloon glow.”
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. Then they use the burners to illuminate the envelope so it glows … it’s really quite pretty,” said Smith, noting that the brightness of the balloon depends on the color and density of the fabric.
The field will be closed this year to spectators giving the balloons and crew the space they need to prepare for the flights.
“We’re going to have fences up and we’re not going to let people in and mill around the balloons,” Smith said. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt, so people shouldn’t be surprised when they see a fence. There were so many people last year on the field it was hard getting the balloons laid out. We want everyone to be safe and have a good time, and that’s why we’re restricting access.”
The Crown of Maine Balloon Fest has become a major tourist attraction. Smith said people come from all over to see the balloons.
“From the people we’ve talked to, we’re pulling from well over The County … actually Bangor north,” he said. “We have some people from Lewiston who come up. There’s a balloon festival there, but they like ours because it’s smaller and more intimate. We also have people coming in from the Cape Cod area. This will be their third year; they help out with crewing, spend the weekend and have a good time. And from license plates, we know we’re pulling from Canada … a good segment of our spectators are from western New Brunswick. While here people tend to shop and eat, so it helps our local economy.”
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.
The schedule of events for the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest is as follows:
4-10 p.m. Street Fair, downtown Main Street. Presented by the Presque Isle Elks Lodge. Featuring Maine foods and entertainment for the whole family.
5:30 p.m. Balloon Launch.
5:30 a.m. Balloon Launch.
4:30 p.m. Registration for Ride-Fly-Ride opens.
5 p.m. Vendors Open.
5-7 p.m. Barbecue to benefit the Presque Isle Historical Society.
5:30 p.m. Ribbon Burning Ceremony.
5:30 p.m. Balloon Launch/Beagle “Max” Maximus display.
6 p.m. Ride-Fly-Ride 20-Mile Qualifying Race.
7 p.m. Ernie and the Automatics at the Presque Isle High School Auditorium. Tickets are $15. Common Crossing will be the opening act. Presented by the PIHS Varsity Club.
Dusk Balloon Glow.
THE PRESQUE ISLE HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY CLUB is pleased to bring back to Presque Isle the Boston-based rock and blues band Ernie and the Automatics. The Automatics will be live in concert Friday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. in the PIHS Auditorium. The band returns to Presque Isle in support of its soon-to-be released CD, “Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades.” Members of Ernie and the Automatics have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. The band features guitarist Barry Goudreau and drummer Sib Hashian, both former original members of the multi-platinum selling band BOSTON. Local group Common Crossing will open the show. Tickets are $15 each and are available at Bradley’s Citgo, the Aroostook Centre Mall, and Aroostook Music.
5:30 a.m. Balloon Launch/Beagle “Max” Maximus flight attempt.
7-10 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.-Noon County Spin-Off “Pedaling For Paws,” North Street. Sponsored by County Physical Therapy. Proceeds to benefit the Central Aroostook Humane Society.
9 a.m.-Noon Central Aroostook Humane Society Bake Sale at County Physical Therapy on North Street.
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Presque Isle Kiwanis/KeyBank Youth Day – rain or shine – at The Forum.
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Kids Inflatable Fun Events sponsored by Pines Health Services and Cary Medical Center at The Forum.
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Gladiator Joust Arena and G-Force Laser Tag sponsored by the Presque Isle Kiwanis at the Commercial Exhibition Building.
1 p.m. Pilot/Crew Softball Game at the field behind the outdoor pool.
2 p.m. Music on the Riverside featuring local musicians, artists and vendors. Riverside Park.
2:30 p.m. Movie Matinee featuring “Up.” Sponsored by Pines Health Services and Cary Medical Center at The Forum.
5 p.m. Vendors Open.
5:30 p.m. Balloon Launch/Beagle “Max” Maximus display.
6-7 p.m. Paint Presque Isle Preview Reception at the Northeastland Hotel. This is a ticketed event. Auction will follow at 7 p.m.
Dusk Balloon Glow.
8-10 p.m. Dance Under the Stars.
5:30 a.m. Balloon Launch, Ride-Fly-Ride Final Race.
Festival-long events include an amateur photo contest. The community is also invited to visit downtown merchants to view the balloons created by the Wintergreen Arts Center and the Rec Program student artists.
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.
DAVID LOPUSHINSKY of Gatineau, Quebec, and his hot air balloon, “Wicked,” will be returning to the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest. After 20 years as a crew member and launch official, Lopushinsky decided to take his hobby to a new level, and he designed and built “Wicked” in his living room.
