Author: Plano Balloon Festival, Inc.

INTOUCH CREDIT UNION PLANO BALLOON FESTIVAL VOTED BEST OF PLANO

The InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival is honored to be recognized as the Best Event/Festival by the readers of Plano Magazine! After 201,564 votes from online readers the Best of Plano Magazine 2019 winners have been officially announced.

 

The list of nominees for all categories were originally chosen by the Plano Magazine staff and contributors. These nominees were voted on by the public at PlanoMagazine.com to determine the winners with the most votes for each category. Voting was open through May 17 and then closed in preparation for the exciting reveal.

 

This is the third year that the InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival has been selected as the Best Event/Festival by readers and previously recognized in 2017 and 2018. Plano Magazine invited the Best of Plano to celebrate recently at The District at Willow Bend!

 

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PILOT STEVE JONES BALLOONING FOR 43 YEARS AROUND THE WORLD

You could say it was love at first flight. Steve Jones’ father attended the US National Balloon Championships in Indianola, Iowa, in 1976, working on a balloon crew and then riding in the balloon. He called Steve on his way home, raving about the experience and trying to convince Steve to partner with him and buy a balloon. Steve was certain that his dad had lost his mind; nevertheless, he consented and soon thereafter he was hooked on the experience. He earned his pilot’s license, a requirement for balloon piloting, and became a member of the ballooning community, enjoying the camaraderie and the competitions.

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FREE HALF MARATHON TRAINING WITH CRAIG RANCH RUNNING CLUB

Sunday, June 30 the Craig Ranch Running Club invites runners to come out at 6:15 a.m. to the 2019 Kick-Off of a free 12 week half marathon training program. This is open to the public and a great way to get ready for the Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon and meet the pace team.

 

The training schedule indicates the meet-up locations that include Craig Ranch Fitness in McKinney on Sunday, Monday and Thursday, and Lawler Middle School in Frisco on Wednesday.

 

The Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon is Sunday, September 22, 2019 and all runners receive a shirt, custom finisher medal, parking pass, and tickets to the InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival that is proudly celebrating 40 Years of Ballooning!

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BITTEN BY THE BALLOONING BUG

They say time flies when you’re having fun. It certainly must, because it’s been over 30 years since his first flight, and Michael Scott is still having fun. In October 1987, Scott and his family visited the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta while on vacation.

 

 

“We found a balloon that we had seen flying [back home] in Oklahoma City and crewed for them that week. My father got a short flight during that week, and he was bitten by the ballooning bug. We bought our first balloon about six weeks later,” recalls Scott.

 

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CELEBRATE GLOBAL RUNNING DAY THROUGH JUNE 30

Global Running Day is celebrated in more than 150 countries around the world and encourages everyone to get moving on the designated day of June 5, 2019. This year the Plano Balloon Festival Races want to extend that celebration for the entire month by offering a 15% discount on all distances. That includes the Half Marathon, Sky High Challenge, Elevate Challenge, 10K, 5K and 1K races. Use the code CELEBRATE before midnight on June 30th to receive the special pricing.

 

“It doesn’t matter how fast you run or how far you go—what’s important is that you take part, and how you do it is up to you. Run a lap around your block, take your dog for a long walk, or call your friends for a pick-up game in the park. The important thing is that you have fun being active—and you inspire others to join you.” – Global Running Day

 

 

The Plano Balloon Festival Races are schedule for Saturday, September 21, 2019 and Sunday, September 22, 2019 at the InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival.

 

All participants in each distance will receive dazzling commemorative finisher medals featuring 9 hot air balloons! Plus all participants receive a gender specific, short sleeve, dry fit style race shirt, two tickets to the InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival plus parking on race day.

 

PBF RACES UNVEILS 5K AND 1K FINISHER MEDALS

We’re marching into the six month countdown for the Plano Balloon Festival Races with the unveiling of the 1K and 5K finisher medals! The 9th Annual PBF Races include custom finisher medals for each distance that reflect a hot air balloon for each year.

 

These three inch custom medals were designed by Running Awards & Apparel and have unique features on each one. The 1K finisher medal is blue with 11 colors and jump ring attachment to the satin printed ribbon.

 

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ASCEND INTO SPRING AND START TRAINING FOR THE PLANO BALLOON FESTIVAL RACES

Ascend into Spring and sign-up for early runner registration for the Plano Balloon Festival Races. Early registration for the Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 1K, Elevate Challenge, and Sky High Challenge ends on March 31st. Starting in April the prices increase up to $15 more per distance.

 

The Plano Balloon Festival Races will be held Saturday, September 21, 2019 and Sunday, September 22, 2019 at the InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival. The race location is at Oak Point Park and the Course Maps give details about water stations, starting/finish lines, mile markers and restrooms.

 

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AN UNLIKELY PILOT – GUY GAUTHIER

An Unlikely Pilot – Guy Gauthier written by Maridee Dietzel

 

Guy Gauthier was terrified. Being afraid of heights, he realized that taking a ride in a hot air balloon may not have been his best idea. He survived, but as he walked away, Guy declared, “I’ll never buy one of those things!”

 

He and his six brothers would pursue ground-level sports. However, after competing in motorcycle racing for a number of years, the siblings were looking for a new, less messy sport that they could participate in and still be clean enough to be welcome in restaurants or even in their homes. Several more refined pastimes were mentioned, such as hang gliding, sailing, speedboating, and yes, even ballooning.

 

That was on a Sunday evening. On Wednesday, Guy received a call from one of his brothers, telling him, “We just bought a balloon, and your part is $3000.”

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THE HOT BUSINESS OF BALLOON LOVE

“The Hot  Business of Balloon Love” written by Maridee Dietzel 

 

It began with a love story. Tamie Folley and Mike Shrum met at a ballooning event in the Philippines.  They shared a passion for ballooning, and about a year later, they began dating.

 

Fast forward to 2016 when they opened their business, Happily Ever After Balloon Company. Tamie was crewing for a friend in Albuquerque when he mentioned that he had an idea that may interest them. He had noticed the shirts Tamie and Mike’s crew wore when working their pink camouflage balloon; the shirts feature a heart with wings on it. The designer wanted to build a balloon in the shape of a heart, but not just an ordinary heart. This heart has personality!

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LOVE IS SOARING WITH SAVINGS FOR PLANO BALLOON FESTIVAL RACES

Love is soaring with savings for the Plano Balloon Festival Races and there’s much to love about early registration fees.  The Sky High Challenge will have your heart racing when you complete the 5k on Saturday, September 21 and the Half Marathon on Sunday, September 22. Or get that heartbeat fluttering with the Elevate Challenge when you complete the 5K and 10K distances.

 

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