At five-minute intervals, the teams of balloonists lifted off in the pre-dawn Wednesday. As they drifted toward Europe, they left behind a community that had shared with them weeks of sustained international good will.

For many residents of the Greater Bangor area, the start of the trans-Atlantic balloon race was the end of months of preparation, but it was the beginning of what have developed into long-term relationships between the crews, their sponsors and this region.

People across the country watched from their homes as the helium-filled balloons rose from the oval at Bass Park — it was impressive against the night sky — but they couldn’t appreciate the months of work that went into the moment.

The Chamber of Commerce, the merchants who donated goods and services, Bangor’s Department of Economic and Community Development headed by Ken Gibb, Bangor 2000 under director Les Stevens, the adopt-a-teams that helped set up the balloons and gondolas, the committees that organized to ensure that each element of the production went flawlessly were as much a part of the event as the crews and promoters.

The five balloons floated with two crew members aboard each craft, but what lifted this event from concept to spectacle was the combined effort of hundreds of people who responded to an appeal for cooperation.

Bangor had the opportunity to become the focal point of international attention for a few moments, to be part of something new and positive.

Standing in the infield Wednesday morning, watching the blinking lights rise and disappear, was a moment witnessed firsthand by a few thousand people, but shared by a community.