Even this is a fantastic and memorable experience. There will also be plenty of information about the sport of hot air ballooning at the balloon information and history tent, and balloon inflation demonstrations. Balloonmeister for this year's event is Ken Griswold of Champagne Balloon Adventures in Alexandria Bay. Mr. Griswold will be responsible for arranging ideal weather conditions for the morning and evening balloon flights. Well, at least he'll be monitoring weather briefings from the National Weather Service and pertinent flight information from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Ideal conditions call for calm to light winds up to ten miles per hour.
Such light winds are most common in the early morning and evening hours, so flight are scheduled accordingly. Balloon watching is fast becoming a popular sport for the entire family. The unfurling of the balloons, which takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, and requires two to five people working on the process, is really a sight to behold. The average balloon is approximately 65 feet long when it is not inflated. Watching this mass of fabric take on life as it begins to stand erect in full bloom is a fascinating experience that is only exceeded by then jumping into the basket for a ride.