BalloonaVista: An Idea That Took Flight
Articles - Life In BV

by: Rick Gaus - Photos by: Dan RutherfordBalloon4

BalloonaVista is not a word you’ll find in the dictionary, as for the locals in Buena Vista Colorado it has become a household term.  It simply means that Hot Air Balloons are coming to town again!  The date is June 9th & 10th; the occasion; The Fifth Annual BalloonaVista Hot Air Balloon Festival. Lift Off at Dawn each day, Music at 6:30 PM on Saturday & The Glow following at dusk. A Balloon Glow is the lighting of the Balloon by shooting a propane flame into the envelope (upper part) in the dark; the BalloonsBalloon2 remain on the ground and resemble a very large light bulb.

The dream began at a Gallery Association meeting a little over five years ago. The members were working on ideas to bring visitors to town and A Hot Air Balloon Festival became the plan.

A few Emails in the right direction got it started. Then a phone call came from The Ballooning Society of Pikes Peak with word of a member who was a Balloon Meister.  A Balloon Meister isBalloon1 another word you won’t find in the dictionary, it is a person who announces at Balloon Events. In this case it is the person who masterminded the “How to put on a Balloon Festival in four easy steps.” His name is Stephen Blucher and he has co-produced this event every year with The Galleries of Buena Vista. The Chamber of Commerce was also instrumental in getting this event off the ground.

Step 1.  Are the weather conditions conducive to flying Hot Air Balloons in BV? This was an important issue to address before getting any further along. The answer was sometimes

Step 2.  Are the local landowners Balloon Flying Friendly?  Sort of.

Step 3.  Is there a good location to take off from, with a lot of parking and an open view?  The Rodeo Grounds was the location of choice.

Step 4.  How to raise money to pay for the expenses.  Luckily there is a RE/MAX office in BV and the owner, Marilyn Lacy was very cooperative as a corporate sponsor.  The rest of the funds were raised by offering balloon rides to local business’s for their donations.

“The best laid  schemes o' mice an' men"”, as Robert Burns once wrote was lurking in the near future. Everything had been done according to the specs. Everything except that unforeseen factor that no one can control; the weather.  Buena Vista Colorado boasts that 90% of the time sunshine is prevalent, the odds seemed good.  The day finally arrived for the first balloon flight, it came with much anticipation, it came with a large gathering of people and it came with wind and rain. Nothing could be done except wait for that evening when the next chance was available.  The weather went calm for the evening events and the glow drew a crowd too numerous to count, at one point the road from the rodeo grounds to the highway was a solid line of headlights. “Field of Dreams” became a reality. The Sunday flight went off as scheduled and Balloonist’s were able to hit what they call  “A Box”, that is when the lower wind current carries the Balloons in one direction then they gain altitude and go in the opposite direction on the upper wind currents. Some of them landed in the same location where they ascended from originally.

All was well with the world as there was a feeling of success that surrounded this First Annual Balloon Event, memories of the rain out on Saturday morning were soon washed away and replaced by memories of the Balloons flying in circles over the Rodeo Grounds.

The years that followed BalloonaVista One have all been very similar to that first event.  Always having one successful flight and usually pulling off a nice evening glow was enough to satisfy the hungry crowds who came from near and far to be entertained by this spectacular backdrop of Hot Air Balloons rising against Fourteen Thousand Foot Peaks.

Last year was the best weather one could ask for in terms of Balloon Flying.  There was ”A Box” present every day that the Balloonist’s flew, some came early and flew on Friday and some stayed over until Monday. The Glow also went well.

This is a nice event for all ages, come and enjoy.