County Queens kick off the 14th annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest. From left: Natalie Putnam, Mini Miss Pesque Isle; Maddison Cleaves, Miss Presque Isle 2017; Emerson Turner, Teen Miss Washburn 2017; Logan Curtis, Pre-teen Miss Washburn 2017; Tru Drost, Jr. Miss Washburn 2017; Kadence Cormier, Miss Maine Jr. Princess 2018; Evelynn Wardwell, 2017 Mini Miss Northern Maine Fair; Hannah Clapper, Little Miss Washburn 2017; Bailey Soucy, Miss USA National Maine Princess; Chole Lento Pre-teen Miss Easton 2017; Balloon Pilot Randy Lee of North Carolina; Delaney Alward, USA National Miss Maine Jr. Teen; Mallory Kingsbury, Jr. Miss Bridgewater; Megan McKnight, USA National Miss Pine Tree State.(Joshua Archer)
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Thursday evening’s high winds kept the The 14th annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest balloons grounded, but that did not stop hundreds of folks from enjoying the street fair.
The kick off of the festival had area queens gather at the fairgrounds to brave the flames of a balloon burner for the traditional ribbon burning.
A section of Main Street was blocked off downtown for folks to celebrate with games, food and entertainment.
The sounds of AC/DC tribute band Powerage kept the evening’s energy levels on high as kids played games, parents chowed down on burgers and newcomers had the opportunity to be part of what’s become one of The County’s last hurrahs before fall comes creeping in.
County Queens kick off the 14th annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest with the traditional ribbon burning. From left: Logan Curtis, Pre-teen Miss Washburn 2017; Emerson Turner, Teen Miss Washburn 2017; Hannah Clapper, Little Miss Washburn 2017; Tru Drost, Jr. Miss Washburn 2017; Evelynn Wardwell, 2017 Mini Miss Northern Maine Fair; Natalie Putnam, Mini Miss Pesque Isle; Maddison Cleaves, Miss Presque Isle 2017; Balloon Pilot Randy Lee of North Carolina; Megan McKnight, USA National Miss Pine Tree State; Delaney Alward, USA National Miss Maine Jr. Teen; Mallory Kingsbury, Jr. Miss Bridgewater; Kadence Cormier, Miss Maine Jr. Princess 2018; Bailey Soucy, Miss USA National Maine Princess; Chole Lento Pre-teen Miss Easton 2017. (Joshua Archer)
“We attract hundreds of people who have never been to Aroostook County or Presque Isle, Caribou or any of those places before,” said Chamber Director Theresa Fowler. “It’s a real community festival, we’ve got so many groups that are involved in the operation and activities this weekend. The pilots love flying here, the people are welcoming and warm, they have great landing opportunities and I think they would come even if we didn’t have a festival.”
What makes The County special for flying and the reason why pilots return each year is because of the low number of “red zones” or areas where pilots cannot land found in the area, said pilot coordinator Megan Stanley.
“There are lots of open spaces and we don’t have a lot of ‘red zones’ we don’t have any landowners that have stated that we can’t use their land [for landing], which is awesome and I think that’s a big draw for pilots. They can fly for quite a while without worrying about any obstacles,” Stanley said.
Despite the high winds preventing balloons from taking flight that didn’t stop hundreds of people from turning out to enjoy the 14th annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest street fair Thursday evening. (Joshua Archer)
The balloon festival brings folks outside to enjoy some of the final warm days of summer and look up in awe of floating colorful balloons that travel silently overhead.
“I think it’s really important to support local events and local businesses and a lot of local businesses are sponsors of this event and it’s also a great way to get out and meet people, see something different, try something different, and for a lot of people, being around these balloons is a once in a lifetime event, so it’s really cool that in such a small area we have an event like this every year,” Stanley said.
Maine juggler Adrian Hagerstrom puts on a show during the 14th annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest street fair. (Joshua Archer)
During the festival’s flights hundreds of passengers get to have the experience of a lifetime as they enjoy the sights of Presque Isle.
“The pilots say it’s one of the most beautiful places they’ve ever flown,” Fowler said.
For folks not able to go for a balloon ride, tethered rides will be available at the fairgrounds Friday and Saturday.
The crew from Bridgewater’s All Star Gymnastics show off their agility during the 14th annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest street fair Thursday evening. (Joshua Archer)
A complete list of activities for the community and event sponsors can be found on the festival website crownofmaineballoonfest.org.
