Preparations begin for P.I. balloon festival

PRESQUE ISLE – The city’s blue skies will be infused with red, yellow and orange next month as the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Maine Fair Association host the fifth annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest.

Preparations have been under way a long time for the Aug. 21-25 event, said Theresa Fowler, the Chamber’s executive director.

“We already have 14 committed balloons,” she said. “They are coming from as far away as Canada and Florida.”

The event’s title sponsor is KeyBank, while a host of other businesses and organizations also are sponsoring the event.

The event will celebrate the 225th anniversary of the first man-made technology flight and the 30th anniversary of the Double Eagle II transatlantic flight that departed from Presque Isle.

While last year’s event was somewhat hampered by weather that deterred some launches, Fowler said, officials are expecting this year to be better.

Activities will begin Aug. 21, with the first balloon launch scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Morning launches will begin at 5:30. All launches are planned from the Northern Maine Fairgrounds.

Together with the balloon launches, several new events will be included this year.

One event, “This Comedy Show is Rated PG-13,” will be held at Weiden Hall, University of Maine at Presque Isle campus on Aug. 22. The headliner for the show is Portland native Brian Giles. Giles, a regular performer in nationally acclaimed improvisation group The Escapists, has performed from New Orleans to Madawaska.

Also at the fairgrounds will be the Friday and Saturday evening “balloon glows” of the hot air balloons, which will take place at dusk. During the balloon glows, each balloon crew ignites the hot air burners.

A street fair will take place on Aug. 23 when Main Street in Presque Isle will close for five hours so participants can check out the local shops and be entertained by music provided by Citadel Broadcasting.

Aroostook Partners in the Arts will host an “Artists In The Park” event with musical performances in Riverside Park in downtown Presque Isle.

For information, visit the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest Web site at www.crownofmaineballoonfest.org or by calling the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce at 764-6561.

jlbdn@ainop.com

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