The Logan County Alliance cuts the ribbon on a new era at the Lincoln Balloon Festival

[August 31, 2015]  LINCOLN - The phones are ringing off the hook; the office is packed with boxes of t-shirts, souvenirs, and supplies. Inflatable balloons and sponsor banners are showing up all over Lincoln. These are all signs the preparations are entering their final stages for the 2015 Lincoln Balloon Festival.

The Alliance invites the public to come out on Thursday, August 27th at 5:30 p.m. to help cut the ribbon to launch the new Lincoln Balloon Festival. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at the main festival gate off of Airport Road, at the Logan County Airport. In addition to a ribbon cut our local pilots and special shape, Darth Vader, will inflate and fly (weather permitting) to give a preview of what to expect at the Festival on August 28th and 29th. This event kicks off a weekend of exciting fun filled activities at the Logan County Airport which includes 31 beautiful hot air balloons launching several times throughout the weekend and glowing both Friday and Saturday evening.

A new addition to the Thursday night preview flight at the airport is a birthday celebration for the City of Lincoln. Did you know that August 27th is the City of Lincoln's 162nd Birthday? The Alliance invites the community to come join as they sing Happy Birthday and enjoy delicious cake in honor of this momentous birthday!

With this new era of the Lincoln Balloon Festival organizers want guests to have the familiar experiences as in previous years, with vivid colors, exciting activities, wonderful smells, and great music. In addition they have added more activities for families including inflatable watersides, and on Friday an exotic petting zoo. Back by popular demand is the wildly popular party band out of Springfield, Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters headlining on Friday night after the balloon glow around 8:30 p.m. Other very exciting live bands playing at the airport are Hat Trick at 4 P.M. on Saturday and following the balloon glow on Saturday night, Borderline out of St. Louis will be capping off the weekend festivities. Visitors during the day on Saturday can expect the gates open two hours earlier than previous years. Now opening at 11 a.m. on Saturday the Lincoln Balloon Festival brings the local favorite bags tournament, and new celebrity dunk tank featuring guest “dunkies” like Representative Tim Butler, Aldermen Todd Mourning and Michelle Bauer, LCHS Baseball coaches Pat Hake and Chris Phillips and all the Alliance staff to name a few. For a detailed schedule of celebrity “dunkies” check the website at www.lincolnillinois.com. 

The free park and ride service will be offered again to beat the $1 parking charge out at the Logan County Airport. The off-site parking will be at the new Big R parking Lot on Woodlawn Road. Shuttle service will run Friday and Saturday afternoon from the Big R lot to downtown Lincoln then to the Logan County Airport. The shuttle service will run about every 15 minutes to each of the three locations.

Tether balloon rides are being offered again this year from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the rate of $15 per adult and $10 per child. A limited number of full rides are still available. Advance registration is required for full rides.

Check out all the Lincoln Balloon Festival activities and a complete detailed schedule at www.lincolnillinois.com,  or call the office at 217-735-2385.

[Andi Hake, Logan County Alliance]