PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Hot air balloons will once again soar above Presque Isle and surrounding communities during the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival in late August.
After reducing the festival to small-scale events last summer, the committee plans to welcome 11 pilots to the region. The pilots will offer flights, for which people must register prior to the festival, as well as tethered rides and balloon glows at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds.
Morning and afternoon mass ascensions of balloons will occur throughout the weekend of Aug. 26-29, but will be weather dependent. Other events will include the craft and vendor fair, live music from bands Guilty Pleasure and Star City Syndicate and a meet and greet with balloon pilots.
New to this year’s festival will be the Ride for a Cure fundraiser. Aroostook Relay for Life’s Click for a Cure team will host two ATV trail rides on Saturday, Aug. 28, that will benefit Relay for Life’s annual campaign.
The Waterville, Maine-based Vacationland Skydiving will offer demonstrations at the fairgrounds.
Currently there are no places to reduce event capacity for pandemic reasons, according to festival committee chairperson Jordyn Madore. But if statewide COVID-19 restrictions become enacted again, the committee will make necessary changes related to size capacity, masks and other requirements.
“Last September we came up with a plan for what we’d do as backup,” Madore said. “We won’t cancel the festival, but we’re following the news closely and would modify events if we had to.”
To promote the festival as a regional event, the Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the city of Caribou to host a balloon-themed Thursdays on Sweden Street. Details for that final Thursdays event will be announced in the coming weeks.
The festival’s return marks an important milestone in a year that has brought back The County’s traditional summer events. Balloon pilots come from as far away as North Carolina, Florida and Alabama and many, Madore noted, have visited the region on their own time.
With thousands of visitors from local towns and other states, the festival also provides economic benefits to businesses and promotes Aroostook County.
“We know of people from at least eight or nine different states who are planning to come [to the festival],” Madore said. “It really is a showcase of what Presque Isle has to offer for people who might relocate or vacation here in the future.”
A full schedule of events can be found on the festival’s website.
