The 15thAnnual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival was held May 3-5, 2019, in Foley, AL. Only about 20 miles from Fort Morgan (where we were staying), we decided to check it out Friday night. The event was sponsored by the Tanger Outlets (of Foley), and held at the soccer fields of the Foley Sports Complex.
Unfamiliar with the area, it was a bit challenging to even find the place! We persisted, however, and ended up in a long, slow-moving line of traffic to the parking area ($5/per vehicle). In fact, it took us about 40 minutes to get to our parking spot. Yikes! Parking at the Tanger Outlets with shuttle service to the event ($2/person) was provided and in retrospect was likely a better choice.
In addition to the hot air balloons, the festival includes carnival rides, arts and crafts, live music, and food vendors. As we walked towards the festival, hot air balloonists were beginning to set up for the balloon glow and launch (weather permitting) at dusk.
Kids were enjoying the carnival rides…
We arrived in time to see the frisbee dog show, that we both really enjoy (because our doggie, Sadie, is an (amateur) frisbee dog, too!)
This first dog (shown below) is only 2 years old, but already an amazing performer.
The second one is ranked 6thin the world!
With many food vendors at the festival, we grabbed some burgers and fries that were really quite good. In addition to lemonade, water ice, and other drinks, beer and wine (my preferred drink) were also available for purchase.
Live music performances were scheduled throughout the festival. Schedules are posted online.
Tractors were on display and kids enjoyed hayrides, too.
And hot air balloonists began to inflate their balloons…always fun to watch!
There was a total of 36 balloonist from all over the country. And the balloon glows (when everyone fires up at the same time) are gorgeous!
There was not a launch on the evening when we attended. They are scheduled for dawn and dusk during the festival, weather permitting. That means that the wind must be less than 7 mph.
Neither John nor I have ever been on a hot air balloon ride…maybe one day. I find them enchanting. There is something magical about just traveling wherever the wind blows; or, maybe a hot air balloon just reminds me of The Wizard of Oz! This was a small festival that was a lot of fun for us. There was no admission fee.
For information about next year’s festival in Foley, go to www.gulfcoastballoonfestival.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment