ASHLAND – More than 30 balloons are expected to take flight in the skies over Ashland this week as the 26th Annual Ashland BalloonFest launches Thursday evening at Freer Field.
The 2016 BalloonFest kicks off with an opening ceremony Thursday – one night earlier than usual – followed by a media flight, weather permitting, and a balloon glow that starts around 9:30 p.m.
“I’ve seen this become more of a destination event,” public relations chairwoman Misty Miller said. “I’ve had people contact me from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee. I’ve even had some folks from California say, ‘Hey we’re traveling the U.S. and we saw your festival. Can we camp?’ People from all over the country are coming to check out our festival, which is phenomenal.”
According to Miller, Thursday night drew such a big crowd last year that organizers decided to move opening ceremonies up a night. Last year, for the 25th anniversary of the festival, organizers added a third Balloon Glow on Thursday night to go along with the traditional Friday and Saturday night glows. Since it was so successful, the third glow was again added to this year’s schedule.
Miller said the glow will be different each night, with different balloons taking part and different music accompanying the glow. During the Balloon Glows, pilots use their flames to light up their balloons to the sounds of popular songs.
“If you can come out one night and experience, you’ll have a great show. If you come out all three nights to enjoy the show, you for sure are going to see something different,” Miller said.
Besides the glows, the other big draws for fans are the morning and evening flights. During the flights, spectators can watch as dozens of balloons lift off from Freer Field and fill the skies over Ashland with their colorful envelopes
All flights and balloon activities are contingent on good weather conditions, Miller said. Balloonmeister Greg Miller is charged with watching the weather and deciding if conditions are suitable for flights.
Misty Miller said the crowds aren’t the only ones being drawn from all over for the Ashland BalloonFest, as businesses sponsoring the event come from beyond Ashland, including Wooster, Twinsburg and Mansfield.
“It’s just amazing how this has grown beyond Ashland,” Miller said. “We want to keep it a community event, and that’s why it’s free, but we also want to give folks are coming to us an experience with memories that can last a lifetime.”
It’s an experience that drew pilots this year from the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
Besides the balloon events, the festival also includes live music, dozens of food vendors, a beer garden and a range of activities for children and families. For children, BalloonFest offers COSI on Wheels, along with a Kids Fun Zone with pony rides, laser tag, inflatables, airbrushing and the world’s tallest pinball machine.
Live entertainment includes BalloonFest newcomers Kokosing River Surf Club performing rock and blues on Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Midlyfe Crisis rocking from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Ashland favorites Krush performing classic rock on Saturday.
As part of a Safety Fun demonstration that also includes K-9 demonstrations, two medical helicopters will be flying in Saturday afternoon for the crowds to enjoy: the Metro LifeFlight and University Hospitals MedEvac helicopter.
Miller said she expects more than 20,000 people to attend this weekend if weather is good.
