Tag: Plano

HALF MARATHON MEDAL IS A HOT SLIDER!

The 2022 Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon Medal is a hot slider that features 12 colorful hot air balloons! Things are REALLY looking up is the theme for the festival this year and the finisher medals are floating high in the sky as a custom reward for runners to earn and enjoy. The concept for the design includes movement of one hot air balloon allowing it to ascend and descend with a simple slide up or down.

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FESTIVAL WILL OPEN EARLY TO CELEBRATE THE PLANO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY

The H-E-B | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival & Run will open one day early to celebrate the Plano Symphony Orchestra’s 40th Anniversary Season.  The Festival will be opening to the public on Thursday, September 22 at 5:00 p.m. to kick-off the weekend with music, hot air balloons, festival food and vendors, along with the famous Central Market Kids Fun Zone. The special community concert begins at 7:00 p.m. and offers families the opportunity to enjoy the orchestra in an outdoor setting while the hot air balloons glow in the background. The music will include pieces from films like Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Magnificent Seven, Silverado, and favorites from James Bond films.

“We understand the importance of celebrating big anniversaries and welcoming the Plano Symphony Orchestra to the 2022 H-E-B | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival & Run will mark the first time the Symphony has performed an outdoor, family friendly, community concert.  We’re very excited to showcase the Plano Symphony Orchestra at this year’s Festival and can’t wait to be part of this wonderful evening.”  

Jo Via, Executive Director of Plano Balloon Festival, Inc. 
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2022 RACE REGISTRATION IS OPEN WITH LOW FEES VALID THROUGH OCTOBER 31

The 2022 Plano Balloon Festival Races are officially scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 24 (5K & 1K) and Sunday, September 25 (10K & Half Marathon); once again featuring the Elevate and Sky High Challenges! New commemorative finisher medals will be designed and given to all participants at the completion of each distance.

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PLANO BALLOON FESTIVAL BOARD CANCELS 2021

The Plano Balloon Festival, Inc. has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 H-E-B Central Market Plano Balloon Festival that was scheduled for September 17 – 19. With the continued increase in COVID cases, specifically the Delta Variant, the Festival board and staff has considered the health and safety of our Festival pilots, attendees, volunteers, sponsors, and vendors our top priority. In making this difficult decision we are mindful of the extremely large number of families that attend the event, the majority of which have children under 12 years of age.

Providing a safe environment for everyone that visits the event is crucial, especially for our youngest attendees. Safety has been at the forefront of our Festival from the very beginning and that will not change. This was not an easy decision, but the right one to make. We deeply appreciate the support of our partners, sponsors, and the community; and look forward to the best festival ever in 2022.

ZOE WHITE CREWS FOR PEG LEG PETE THE PIRATE PARROT

Hot air balloon crew volunteers assist out-of-town pilots at the Plano Balloon Festival. Zoe White is a local resident that signed up in 2019 and was assigned to help with Peg Leg Pete the Pirate Parrot hot air balloon. Zoe is a Plano Senior High School graduate and enjoys sharing photography on her Instagram account SweetAzurePhotos.

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EARLY RUNNER REGISTRATION ENDS MARCH 31 FOR PLANO BALLOON FESTIVAL RACES

Early registration for the Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and 1K  ends March 31st!  Sign-up now for the September 19-20 race dates and prepare to go the distance this Fall.  On April 1st the registration fees go up just like the hot air balloons that are scheduled each morning as the race begins.

 

What’s included in your race registration? This epic adventure is a soaring experience that comes with a colorful customized finisher medal, two tickets to the Central Market Plano Balloon Festival, race day parking pass, and a gender specific, short sleeve, dry fit style race shirt.

 

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FESTIVAL PREVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHER BADGE DRAWING

The InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival is going to inflate a hot air balloon in the parking lot at Central Market in Plano on Monday, August 19 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.  We’re going to be giving away free general admission tickets to the festival so come by and see us!

 

If you’re really into food then you might get hypnotized by Hatch during Hatchsteria happening August 7-20! Central Market is featuring over 200 specialty Hatch-infused goodness around every corner within the store.

 

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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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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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CHARITABLE SPIRITS LIFT UP THE PLANO BALLOON FESTIVAL

Throughout the 39 years of producing this annual tradition within North Texas, the Plano Balloon Festival, Inc. has never experienced such a devastating loss.  The Festival is not a large corporate entity, but rather a 501(c)3 non-profit organization led by 13 Board of Directors. The sadness, and significant economic loss, is shared with the 58 local non-profits, 75 vendors, dozens of sponsors, pilots, crew, and more than 5,000 volunteers who were committed to the event.

 

The Festival mission is to produce a family-oriented ballooning event to benefit the community. The objective is to also offer other non-profits an opportunity to assist with the operations of the Festival and raise funds. These agencies work the gates, parking lots, kids fun zone and the races. For their services these non-profits are compensated a portion of the revenue. However, this year they earned no money to apply towards their impactful programs within the community.

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