Balloons over 66

Weekend of ballooning kicks off with Friday evening ribbon cut and flight

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[September 01, 2021]   It was a busy weekend in Lincoln this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday as the number of activities associated with Balloons Over 66 weekend grew immensely.

Many folks saw this as a return to the old style balloon festival weekend with the inclusion of a 5K Run, Oasis Vendor Market, an art show put together by the Lincoln Arts Institute, Up in Smoke Backyard Barbecue competition, Dock Dogs competitions, two car shows, live music, lots of food and drink and of course, hot air balloons with three lift off opportunities and one unified glow event at the Lincoln Park District.

Over the next few days, Lincoln Daily News will bring you coverage from most of these events starting today with coverage from the first lift off on Friday night, a Saturday walk about downtown, and the Up in Smoke competition.

On Friday evening, the balloon events kicked off at the Comfort Inn in Lincoln with a pilots meeting. Organizer and local pilot Seth Goodman led the meeting with input from several others who were involved with making sure that first evening in Lincoln would be a safe and pleasant experience for the more than 30 pilots in attendance.

Goodman welcomed all the pilots and thanked them for coming. He talked about the lift off locations, fueling opportunities for the balloons, a brunch that would be served at the Oasis and other social events designed specifically for the pilots.

He encouraged all the pilots to get out into the community during their downtime and enjoy the activities at the Oasis as well as downtown.

Of course a pilots meeting has to address weather conditions. On Friday evening winds were calmer on ground level, which is almost always the case. Above 300 feet and up to 2,500 feet the winds were going to be picking up throughout the evening, topping out at 11 knots (12.65 miles per hour) as sunset approached.

Goodman told the group that flight at those wind speeds would be at pilot discretion and any pilot who chose not to fly would be respected for their decision. One pilot asked if it would be acceptable to inflate but not fly. Goodman said yes that would be perfectly acceptable. He said, in fact, the people who come to watch would enjoy an opportunity to go out and get a little closer to the balloons if they were going to stay grounded. Again, Goodman said it was up to the pilot what he did.

Alice Roate with the Logan County Tourism Bureau welcomed the pilots to Lincoln. Pilots received gift bags that had been put together in cooperation by the Bureau and downtown businesses.

With the concerns for wind speeds as the evening progressed, the ribbon cutting hosted by Lincoln Daily News moved along quickly. Roate and Mayor Tracy Welch assisted with the cutting.

Welch spoke briefly thanking all the pilots for coming to Lincoln and inviting them to enjoy all that the weekend had to offer.

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A large round of applause was given for Goodman during the cut as it was noted that when the Lincoln Balloon Festival was lost a few years ago it was a sad day for many people. Goodman had taken on the huge chore of trying to revive the event and had done so successfully with the help of several volunteers.

When Goodman spoke, he asked for a round of applause for all the pilots, their crews, and everyone who was contributing to making the weekend a good experience for everyone.

Goodman also acknowledged Tina Simpson who stood beside him and the Comfort Inn Motel. He said that Simpson had worked to make the accommodations for the pilots at the motel the best the motel had to offer, and he appreciated the welcoming attitude of Simpson and staff.



Then it was time to snip the ribbon and as the old saying goes “get on with the show.”

Pilots headed to their vehicles and disbursed to their appointments at five lift off locations in Lincoln.

LDN chose to follow the pilots headed to the residence of Kevin and Peggy Bateman, knowing it would make a picturesque setting for the first lift off coverage of 2021. It did not disappoint.

The balloons lifting off at the Bateman’s included Dave Boesdorfer with Memories in Flight, Pat Brouillet with Envy, Dean Carlton and his dog Wagz, Danny Gebhart in Yellow Cloud, Kathy Reineke in Sunsational and Scott Wooge with his balloon Eclipse.

[Nila Smith]

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