!!! Balloon Festival !!!

We followed the directions Joe gave us down to I-40 and then into Statesboro. Followed the roads around the airport to a grass parking lot, paid the entrance fee, and settled into a spot on the field. The balloon event was setup on a huge open field (but of course). Around the edges were various vending kiosks, including a stage and live music. We split up and Pam and I wandered around checking out the handful of things up for sale. We wandered around to where some of the trucks and their balloon baskets were set out. Launch time was supposed to be at 4:30. It was getting late, and while yes we saw some balloon baskets here and there, and bunches of trucks and vans, it really didn't look all that busy. We wondered if the mass-launch was going to happen within any reasonable time of the published schedule.


At 4:30, the band stopped and the announcer came on to talk through the launch. The folks with their vehicles and equipment in the field got real busy rolling out their balloon fabrics, and getting going. One black colored balloon with a large AT&T logo on it started inflating. They inflate the balloons with regular unheated air, with one or two big fans just blowing air into them. The when maybe 80% full, looking partly deflated resting on the ground, they fire up their air torches on top of their baskets and aim them into the gaping balloons. After not too long, the large mass of balloon begins to rise vertical, until finally a handful of folks had to stand on the basket to keep it from lifting off.








Once the black AT&T balloon was ready, the announcer said something, the balloon's tether was unhooked, and the balloon went soaring up.




This was apparently the coordinated signal that all the other balloons could take off when ready as well, and the place became a frenzy of blowing fans filling balloons, fire-breathers torch-heating the air, people holding down their baskets, filling them with riders, and letting go.
I thought this was going to be pretty cool, but being there up close, walking in and around all of them doing this, it was way more exhilarating than I imagined it would be. Balloons everywhere. Bumping into each other on the ground. Dozens floating off into the sky in a visual cacophony of color and sight.



These things float up surprisingly quickly. I'm told that they give rides to people (for $100+) for about an hour or so. They float up and drift on the wind, wherever it takes them, and then come down and land. There's a 'chase' truck for each that follows it along on the ground - must be quite a task. They'll pick up the guest fliers, and drive them back to the launch point.