52nd annual Adirondack Balloon Festival kicks off at local elementary school

SOUTH GLENS FALLS N.Y. (NEWS10) — The energy has skyrocketed in the South Glens Falls area waiting for the highly anticipated Adirondack Balloon Festival. This year is the 52nd annual festival, and it all kicked off with a sneak peak for local elementary schools.

The Educate and Elevate program is an annual event where several pilots, crew, and volunteers bring their balloons to local schools the week of the festival. They discuss how the balloons work, and inflate them in real time for them to witness and ask questions.

“We’re developing our next generation, which is why it’s so important to come to these schools” explained board president Mark Donahue. “It’s to light that fire in kids, like it was lit in me at that age.”

Today, crew members and volunteers inflated three balloons outside of the Harrison Avenue Elementary School. The program was also featured at other surrounding schools, and a local nursing home.

“It would be a fun job to do, like getting to see and go up in balloons all the time” said Alivia, a local student.

The festival draws in people of all ages, from kids to adults. It’s all thanks to the volunteers that put it on.

“They do this for free, they take their time to be with us” said Donahue.

For the crew, it’s more than a festival, it’s a family. Karen Pratt has been crewing since the late 1970s.

“Our girl scout troop at the time started crewing for three women balloon pilots” Pratt explained. “That’s kind of what started my interest.”

The ballooning community expands outside of New York, all the way to Saga, Japan.

“Saga, Japan, is our sister city and that relationship started because of ballooning” Pratt noted. “Ballooning is one of the exchanges, so they’ll send a team here to participate in our Adirondack Festival and we’ll send a team there to participate in their festival. The last time we were there was 2014, but we’re going back next year, so we’re excited about that. And in addition to that, we also have four schools that participate.”

Kids at Harrison Avenue Elementary School spent the day admiring the balloons and everything that it takes to operate them. I spoke with a few students who want people to know that if they think this is impressive, they haven’t even caught a glimpse of what’s to come this weekend.

“I’ve have seen a bigger balloon” stated local student, Christian.

Christian also said that while the preview at school was exciting, the thought of piloting a balloon was slightly nerve-wracking.

“Rollercoasters aren’t, like, scary, but, other stuff, like, really high up, like mountains and this are a little scary” Christian commented.

The Adirondack Balloon Festival is taking place through Sunday, and it all takes flight at tonight’s opening ceremony. The ceremony will be held in Crandall Park where there will be an evening launch and a moonglow. Tomorrow the festivities will shift to the Warren County Airport for the rest of the weekend. Over eighty balloons will be on site for their Saturday morning launch, and the event is free to attend.