By Burton Cole
FALMOUTH — The Wool Festival grounds will be aglow with hot air balloons this Saturday.
The balloon glow will cap Balloons and Tunes, which the Pendleton County Tourism Council intends to become an annual event.
Live bands and about a dozen food trucks will be featured along with the hot air balloons from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Wool Festival Grounds, 48 Concord Caddo Road, Falmouth.
“The glow portion is a synchronized glowing of the hot air balloons. You’ll see all the balloons set up, inflated and lighting up as darkness falls,” Jen Short of the tourism board said. “It really is magical.”
The balloons will stay grounded, creating a glowing field of colorful nylon and polyester, she said.
Weather permitting, before sunset, rides will be given in two tethered hot air balloons, which will rise up to 200 feet.
“The photo opportunities will be wonderful,” Short said.
“The balloons are going to be a big draw, but don’t forget about the food and music,” she said.
Musicians are singer/songwriter and Butler native Sami Riggs, whose music is described as Midwest meets South, with influences are Cheryl Crow and Tom Petty; the Harry Pedigo Band from Ripley, Ohio, with Appalachian outlaw country music; and the John Morgen Band, which plays ’90s country and Southern rock.
Morgen, a 2011 Pendleton County High School graduate, said his musical career began at age 4 when he sang with his uncle’s band at the Wool Festival.
A Kids’ Zone will include inflatables such as bounce houses. Also, there will be kid-friendly vendors, including Pap’s Little Gems Mining.
“We hope it becomes as big as the Wool Festival,” Short said. “We want it to become a family tradition.”
Admission is $10 (cash only; cash is recommended for vendors as well) and free for children 5 and younger, but balloon rides are $15 a person no matter what age.
An array of food trucks and other vendors will be on hand so that attendees can purchase souvenirs and a meal to enjoy on the lawn picnic style.
The Balloons and Tunes committee encourages attendees to bring camp chairs or blankets to sit on while enjoying food, balloons and music.
No outside food or drinks will be permitted on the festival grounds, nor will be pets be allowed, according to festival rules.
BALLOON GLOW
“Coney Island (Cincinnati) had a famous balloon glow event every year,” Short said. “It’s closed now. People on social media were saying that it’s sad that it’s gone.”
“We talked on the Tourism Council for several years to bring one here,” she said.
This year, it’s happening. And the intention is to make it an annual event.
Read the rest of this story and other great articles in this week’s Falmouth Outlook, in print or e-edition for $1.00
BALLOONS, continues on Page 4