Description: This was mine and John’s 3rd trip to the annual event and while it started out as a rough start, ended up being a spectacular evening.
The first balloon rally was held the first week in October 1974 and did last a week. The year prior Balloon Works was started in Statesville by Tracy Barnes offering sport hot air balloons. The first event was sponsored by Ariel Ascensions, who were customers of Balloon Works. Guests from all over the country came for bonding, networking, camping, and fishing. In 1978 the rally was moved to nearby Love Valley where Balloon Works were now operating. It was still a week long event bringing balloon fans and for the first time, spectators. The rally soon was too large to continue in the small area.
In 1982, Balloon Works, The Statesville Chamber of Commerce and several other groups band together and moved the event to the Statesville Airport. The first year it moved there were 160 balloon and over 80,000 people came out for the weekend event that offered guests shopping and entertainment as well as balloons. Due to expansions going on at the airport, the event was relocated to the Iredell Country Fairgrounds in nearby Troutman. After the expansions were complete in 2006, the event was once again moved to the airport.
The event is a sanctioned event and contest for the balloon crews. It is the second oldest rally in the country just behind the granddaddy off all balloon rallies…Albuquerque. The event lasts through out the weekend and is held in October. Guests are treated to several events including a mass assertion, fly back, and a balloon glow in the evening. They have food vendors, shopping, and local wineries are present. The first time we attended the event, it was held in June. So I am not sure how long it was held in the summer. The event does go on even if it is raining. But windy weather will stop it. We attended the second time in 2007 and the weather was so bad the balloon did not go up.
We left 2 hours before the mass assertion would begin at 4. That would give us 75 minutes to get to the airport and allow for time to get to the parking lot and get settled in. Once we got to the exit that would take us to the airport we drove down a bit took the road to the airport and then we ran into trouble. Last time we were at the event, we ran into some traffic but it was as we were almost at the airport parking lot. This time it was less than 5 minutes after we hit the exit. It would take us 90 minutes to drive the 5 miles from the exit to the airport! We totally missed the assertion and as we neared the airport we could see the balloons flying back in. For a while we were taking pictures from the car. But as we get closer to the airport parking lot there were so many coming in that I knew if I didn’t get out of the car, I would miss taking pictures.
I hoped out of the car, and told John to go on and I would find him. I was firing off picture after pictures. I made my way to the parking lot and the attendant sends me to the left hand parking lot and said she had sent all cars there that arrived in the past 30 minutes. After 45 minutes of walking around and looking for my husband, I finally see cars going into another parking lot and finally find John. We make our way to the grounds of the rally. Now when I was photographing the balloons, I noticed they were arriving to the left of the airport and the grounds were to the right. And there were no balloons in site. We locate the volunteer tent and discover the balloon glow will begin in about an hour and the balloons wee being brought over. We decided to locate the bathrooms, grab a bit to eat and drink, let me do some shopping, and then find a place to enjoy the balloons.
We finally locate the about a dozen porta potties for the tens of thousands of people who are at the event. By the time we make it through that line, we know if we get in any more lines we will miss that as well as balloons are already arriving and inflating. We make our way to the grounds and secure a spot to enjoy the evening’s events. One by one the balloons start to fill up and as the Carolina sky become a sea of black velvet; the brilliant colors of the balloons start to emerge from the fire. After all the balloons are ready to go, the announcer asks the balloons to twinkle. One after another the balloons start to light up giving it a twinkle effect. This goes on several times and the crowds are clearing enjoying the spectacle. Then announcer counts down from 3 and the balloon glow begins. It is just stunning and the strip now looks like the neon strip of Las Vegas. The cheers from the crowd fill the grounds. All the aggravation of getting to this point just disappears.
Website: carolinaballoonfest.com
Would you recommend it? I sure would. Just allow yourself plenty of time to get here.
While the day started out miserable, it ended is something just beautiful and as I was watching that balloon glow, I knew I would do it again to get to see this.
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