We Need a Hot Air Balloon Festival

[dmccall]

I just saw on the news that there is a hot air balloon event going on this weekend in ?Lexington, KY? I'd love to have one here. Flash, I'm sure, would go nuts with that camera!

ohh! I forgot. Also, since we (NC) are kind of the blimp capital, with the airship operations in Elizabeth City and all, why not have a Blimp Festival? Wouldn't it be cool if all of the E-city blimps rode up here to fly around for one Sat? It could help them out, too, as people love looking at blimps. Maybe the demand for blimps would rise after we make a big deal about them. Nobody else seems to be.

TCOM Airships

Westinghouse Airships

[monsoon]

Actually the 2nd oldest balloon rally in the USA, The National Balloon Rally, is held right here in NC in Troutman. (right off I-40 & I-77)

This year it will be June 2nd - 4th. More here.

Some past photos here.

[NCMike1981]

doesn't Alamance County have some sort of hot air balloon festival where they float above 40/85?

[Eastwestrob]

Actually the 2nd oldest balloon rally in the USA, The National Balloon Rally, is held right here in NC in Troutman. (right off I-40 & I-77)

This year it will be June 2nd - 4th. More here.

Some past photos here.

After seeing those photos Metro....it looks like it would rival the festivals in Happy Vally/Deer Vally,AZ and the big one in New Mexico.

[ncwebguy]

During last year's event I (unknowingly) drove along I-40 to my sister's place (near catawba/hickory). I didn't know about it and it was so surreal. After seeing the first one, I was like that's odd, but interesting. Then more and more started coming into view, all kinds of color. The seemed to stay close to the ground as well, and a lot of cars parked in the shoulder to take pictures.

I was at the launch site of a balloon festival in New Jersey (Ballonsbury?) in the mid 80s, but didn't see as many in the air, one after the other.

[Flash]

I'm all for one of these. I think it'd be great. Anything to get higher than 430 feet!

My hometown of Pittsburgh used to have one coinciding with the regatta, although I never went up in one.

[ralncdude]

Back in the late 1980's the Triangle Balloon Classic was held in Clayton, sometime in September. It lasted only a few years, and kept getting rained out. I guess thats why it did not last.

[Transplant]

A Triangle balloon fest is an interesting idea. Hurricane Season (the storm, not the team) is probably a bad time to schedule an event that depends on decent weather.

Maybe the city could start a 'Founders Day' on March 30 (the day, according to the raleighcitymuseum.org) that 1000 Acres was purchased for the city. A balloon fest and other activities could go along with it. The Raleigh Marathon could be moved to this day too.