2022 Balloons Over 66 Weekend

Saturday night launch and glow events bring in huge crowds

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[September 01, 2022]   Saturday evening was the last night of balloon flights for the 2022 Balloons Over 66 followed by the ever popular glow event. At the locations visited by LDN, as well as based on information from LDN reader Kim Burlison, who was at Eighth Street; and Sara Erlandson, who crewed for a balloon at the Dugan Center; the Saturday night launch and glow saw a huge turnout of spectators.

It was a fun family evening at Mayfair Park in Lincoln. Around the park there were people who brought their chairs or blankets so they could sit and enjoy a comfortable evening outside with a view that happens only once a year in Lincoln.




In addition, it seemed to be a good place to enjoy a picnic, as at least one group took advantage of the picnic tables in the park to lay out food for a relaxing meal outdoors.



The youngsters in attendance at the park also took advantage of the playground area to work off some excess energy so they would be ready to settle in and witness the glow that would happen later in the evening.

In the launch area, pilots and crews arrived and began working to layout the balloons, stretching the body of the cloth they call an envelope out on the ground, laying it so that when the fans are started the air would travel from one end to the other. After a time of cold air inflation it would be time to fire up the propane burners that heat the air inside the balloon, causing it to rise up and defy gravity, floating over the basket and tugging at the lines, anxious to take to the skies.











As the balloons inflated at both Mayfair Park and the home of Kevin and Peggy Bateman, the colorful orbs made for a stunning backdrop for family photos and selfies, and many of the guests present took advantage of the opportunity.

The Mayfair Park area was also a great place to play. While waiting for the arrival of the balloons, families enjoyed tossing the football and doing their best to defy gravity the way they knew the balloons would later in the evening.



Saturday evening was another beautiful night for being outside and watching balloons. Mayfair Park was filled with excitement and anticipation long before the balloon crews arrived. Families and friends were setting up picnics, playing football, playing on the playground equipment and just chatting with their neighbors and friends.





It is always fun to note that when the balloons are laid out, they look small and a little puny compared to the people who are crewing.

But when the fans come on and the cold air inflation begins, it soon becomes the people who look small and puny!

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As the inflation began at Mayfair Park everyone enjoyed watching the process of balloons going from little to big and then the big moment when the balloons lifted off the ground and went floating away into the southwestern skies of Logan County.

When the lift off was complete at Mayfair, it was then a great time to take off and go grab some supper, or enjoy that picnic meal. Some did just that, while others just sat with friends and family catching up on the latest news and chatting and enjoying the fall of the sun and the onset of the coolness of the evening.

At the home of Kevin and Peggy Bateman, the largest crowd ever seen at that location, gathered early on Saturday evening for the lift off and glow with great anticipation of having a wonderful family evening in a peaceful setting. Families gathered, old friends re-united, and guests from outside the area were made to feel welcome.



 





The attitude at the Bateman place was wonderfully happy. As balloons lifted into the air, the pilots and passengers celebrated what felt like a victory by giving out huge shouts and waves to the crowds below. The crowd responded nicely cheering on each balloon as it left the ground and feeling very special when the pilot gave them a wave from above the earth.

At the end of the launch event at the Bateman home, there were two balloons that did not go up. Instead, they stayed on the ground, set up their basket and put the word out that anyone who wanted to come to them for a photo in the basket with the pilots was certainly invited. A huge line of people soon gathered at both baskets as parents handed off their toddlers and took photos of their little ones in the basket with the pilots.

The lift off at the Bateman place was spectacular, and many were super excited that it was the location they had chosen for the evening event.

Saturday night as darkness fell, crowds gathered themselves back into the various locations where the balloons were scheduled to glow.
 


When the balloons took to the air for the Saturday night launch, the wind carried them to the southwestern portions of Logan County. As a result, several reported they traveled farther than they would have liked before finding an appropriate spot to land. Because they stayed aloft longer than they wished, they ran too low on fuel. Consequently there were some locations where the glow balloons were not nearly as numerous as the launch. Nonetheless, those who came back to their launch sites for the glow gave a nice performance that was pleasing to the crowd gathered and a beautiful sight to see.



Sarah Erlandson was on a balloon crew at Dugan Center and reported that all but possibly two of the scheduled glow balloons had enough fuel to give the crowd gathered there a nice show. Thanks to Sara for sharing some of her Dugan Center glow photos with LDN for its slideshow coverage.



Kim Burlison was at the glow on Eighth Street, where again there was a very large turnout of visitors who enjoyed a beautiful show. Six of the balloons assigned to that location returned for the glow, including pilot Seth Goodman in his balloon named Honest Abe. Thank you also to Kim for sharing some of her pix. Those two will be featured in a slideshow of the Saturday night glow event.

All combined, the four locations of the balloon launch and glow event made for a beautiful ending to the night and the 2022 Balloons Over 66 Weekend.

While the balloon events marked the beginning and the conclusion of the weekend of fun in Lincoln, there were many wonderful opportunities offered to visitors and the community on Friday afternoon and evening; all day on Saturday and into the night as well.
 


The work that went into all this does not go un-noticed. There are many people who pull this together and do it all voluntarily. It is a sacrifice of time and energy as well as brain cells as every component of the weekend is thought out and planned carefully.

So, the best way to end this component of LDN’s coverage is to deliver the first acknowledgement of thanks. Thank you to the city of Lincoln, the Logan County Tourism Bureau, the many volunteers, and to Seth Goodman for making the balloon portion of the weekend so wonderful. Thank you to the pilots for being so much fun, for being kind and friendly and thank you to the citizens of Lincoln and Logan County for returning those expressions of good will. This is an important weekend in Lincoln and Logan County and we are all lucky to have it back.


[Nila Smith / Karen Hargis]

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