Plano Balloon Fest

UPLIFTING ADVENTURES COLD INFLATED BALLOON WALK-THRU

“This year we invite attendees to walk inside a cold inflated hot air balloon envelope that will remain laying on the ground. We’ve partnered with Uplifting Adventures to create an experience that allows an inside out view, great photos, and educational facts about the fabric of the envelope, structure of the basket and more. The walk thru is free for all ages,” says Amy Leone, Balloon Operations Coordinator and Vice/Chair – Secretary on the Plano Balloon Festival Board of Directors.

COLD INFLATED BALLOON WALK-THRU SCHEDULE:

Friday, September 20, 2024 @ 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 21, 2024 @ 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 22, 2024 @ 7:00 a.m.

Festival attendees are welcome to walk to the end of the field where the envelope of the balloon will be cold inflated and laying down. Walk into the balloon, take pictures, and observe the parts of a hot air balloon from within. Fun favors will be available for children to select from and adults will receive the Parts of a Hot Air Balloon flyer along with the Hot Air Balloon Q&A. Special thanks to Uplifting Adventures owner Billy Broker, a licensed commercial pilot flying Excellence, the official City of Plano balloon.

2024 HOT AIR BALLOONS AND PILOTS

In celebration of our 45 years, the 2024 H-E-B | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival is going to Light Up The Sky on September 19-22! This year includes 10 big-eared and smiling special shape hot air balloons: Annie the Ladybug, Larry the Bear, Flying Saucer, Ziggy, Amelia Bearhart, Mango the Seahorse, Purple People Eater, Gizzmo, Mr. Z and Haunted Mansion!

Yes, you can take a ride in a hot air balloon, but not fly away. Experience the sensation with a Tethered Ride that takes you up in the air hovering 20-30 feet above the ground for several minutes. This is just the right amount of time to get the feeling of floating, take magical photos and videos, and check “ride in a hot air balloon” off your lifelong list of things to do. Passengers must sign a waiver, be at least six years of age and rides are offered during the festival, weather permitting.

Opening day is Thursday, September 19 and the four-day festival weekend continues through Sunday, September 22. TICKETS are available online or at the gate. General admission is $10 for adults, $5 – kids 3-12 years old, $5 – Seniors 65 and older, free for kids 36″ and under, and free for all Military and First Responders (with valid ID).

**MR. Z**
Pilot: Dan Stukas
Central, South Carolina

**ZIGGY**
Pilot: Mike Fielding
Oak Point, Texas

**ANNIE THE LADYBUG**
Pilot: Michael Celentano
Frisco, Texas

**WHISK AWAY**
Pilot: Joshua Cato
Reno, Nevada

**AMELIA BEARHART**
Pilot: Michael Ford
Fort Worth, Texas

**GIZZMO**
Pilot: Matt Robison
Fort Worth, Texas

**LARRY THE BEAR**
Pilot: Brian Chase
Moscow, Pennsylvania

**MANGO THE SEAHORSE**
Pilot: Rollie Little
Glendale, Arizona

2023 HOT AIR BALLOONS & PILOTS

A rainbow of colors, animals, and shapes will be flying High in the Texas Sky at the 2023 H-E-B | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival on September 21-24! Lulu the leopard, Fire Dog, Mister Z, Daz the Whirling Rascal, and Spyder Pig are a few of the special shapes to be spotted among 37 hot air balloons. A Tethered Balloon Ride is a fun experience taking riders up in the air to hover 20-30 feet above the ground for several minutes. This is just the right amount of time to get the feeling of floating, take magical photos and videos, and check “ride in a hot air balloon” off your lifelong list of things to do.

The four-day weekend begins on Thursday, September 21 and continues through Sunday, September 24. TICKETS are available online or at the gate. General admission is $10 for adults, $5 – kids 3-12 years old, $5 – Seniors 65 and older, free for kids 36″ and under, and free for all Military and First Responders (with valid ID).

Big Red Again hot air balloon pilot Joseph Calabrette from Hickory Creek, Texas — **BIG RED AGAIN**
Pilot: Joseph Calabrette
Hickory Creek, Texas

**FIRE DOG**
Pilot: Brian Chase
Moscow, Pennsylvania

RE/MAX Pilot: Steven Lombardi Edgewood, Texas — **RE/MAX**
Pilot: Steven Lombardi
Edgewood, Texas

SPYDERPIG Pilot: Michael Celentano Allen, Texas — **SPYDERPIG**
Pilot: Matt Robison
Allen, Texas

STARDUST Pilot: Amanda Ibbotson-Sullivan Grand Prairie, Texas — **STARDUST**
Pilot: Mark Ibbotson
Grand Prairie, Texas

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.

Continue reading “PILOT STEVE JONES BALLOONING FOR 43 YEARS AROUND THE WORLD”

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.”

Continue reading “AN UNLIKELY PILOT – GUY GAUTHIER”

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!

Continue reading “THE HOT BUSINESS OF BALLOON LOVE”

VOLUNTEER TURNED HOBBYIST KEITH BERRY TO PILOT FOX 4 NEWS BALLOON

By: Amanda Fazzino

Balloon pilot Keith Berry caught a bug for hot air ballooning 29 years ago. “I flew as volunteer crew at a balloon festival in Missouri in 1990,” Berry recalls. “I was immediately hooked!”

That one act of service launched a decades-long commitment to the sport.

“It’s one of the most awesome feelings to be free and in control of a 75 foot tall, 50 foot wide bubble of hot air floating through the sky,” Berry says. “It’s like being able to walk on air!”

Continue reading “VOLUNTEER TURNED HOBBYIST KEITH BERRY TO PILOT FOX 4 NEWS BALLOON”

COMMERCIAL PILOT SCOTT VESELY MAKES RETURN FLIGHT BACK TO PLANO

By: Morgan Kosinski

The InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival is thrilled to have the highly decorated, and equally charming, Scott Vesely return for what promises to be another epic flight.

At Dawn’s Early Light

A commercial balloon pilot since 1982, Vesely has been cruising the skies for decades.

Most recently, he led a team of twelve pilots at Dawn Patrol, a magical event at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

“There is nothing like flying Dawn Patrol in Albuquerque,” Vesely recalls wistfully, “We watch the sunrise over the Sandia Mountains and the traffic come onto the field. There is nothing like that type of flight.”

Continue reading “COMMERCIAL PILOT SCOTT VESELY MAKES RETURN FLIGHT BACK TO PLANO”

PILOT JOSH GOLL & “STAR STEPPER”

Pilot Josh Goll and “Star Stepper” are among the 50 hot air balloons and pilots that came to the 2018 InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival. Even though they loaded up and made the trip with his family, the Festival was cancelled due to flooding. We’d like to show you his beautiful balloon and share his story.

Let’s reflect back to to 2017 and his first time on the Festival field as a pilot. It is quiet on a Sunday morning. The air is still, and the only sound is the intermittent hiss of a propane burner. The number 16 balloon, Star Stepper, glides southwest over the launch field toward a target spray painted on the grass. The pilot, Josh Goll, gets within feet of the giant red X marking the spot. He tosses a bean bag at the target, and the watching crowd break the silence to cheer his win. Goll expertly piloted his balloon so close to the target at the Festival Fly-In Competition that a spectator might forget the breeze is in control of its direction.

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PILOTS SEEK VOLUNTEERS TO CREW HOT AIR BALLOONS

Have you ever wanted to learn more about hot air balloons? We are recruiting folks to help crew for pilots for the InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival the weekend of September 21-23, 2018. Volunteers will learn to help with setting up, inflating, launching, and packing up the hot air balloons after a flight during regularly scheduled balloon activities at the festival. There are two flights a day and the morning crew meets at 6:00 a.m. and finishes around 10:00 a.m. The evening crew begins at 4:00 p.m. and finish by 8:00 p.m. Breakfast is provided for the morning shift and dinner is provided after the evening shift.

Hands-on training is scheduled for 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 15 at Oak Point Park in Plano, Texas. In the event of rain, the training session will take place on the following day, September 16 at the same location.

Volunteers must sign-up in advance to crew for a shift and select a time slot. https://www.planoballoonfest.org/p/getinvolved/volunteers

Follow the conversation on the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/293047234795238/

Continue reading “PILOTS SEEK VOLUNTEERS TO CREW HOT AIR BALLOONS”

COLD INFLATED BALLOON WALK-THRU SCHEDULE:

An Unlikely Pilot – Guy Gauthier written by Maridee Dietzel

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

At Dawn’s Early Light

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