A colorful Labor Day weekend

September 8, 2009 By

Hot air balloons on the launch field at the Colorado Balloon Classic
Well, after a cancelled Saturday morning launch and a delayed Sunday morning launch, near 100 hot air balloons lifted off into the beautiful Colorado sky on Monday morning! It was really spectacular – the weather was great; you really didn’t even need a jacket.

is there really a remax hot air balloon

In case you thought it was just a marketing gimmick, yes, there really is a RE/MAX hot air balloon!  It was really fun to be on the field watching the balloon teams unwrap, spread out, inflate, and close up the balloons.  Just take one peek inside a balloon while it’s still being aired up to get a sense of just how big they are.

hot air balloon festival colorado springs

If you haven’t ever been to the hot air balloon festival, mark your calendars for Labor Day 2010!  We are not normally early risers, but it was worth getting up at 6 AM on a holiday to go see the balloon launch.

Coming up on Labor Day weekend: Colorado Balloon Classic

August 27, 2009 By

There’s lots of things to do in Colorado Springs on Labor Day weekend, but the biggest event by far is the Colorado Balloon Classic.  Nearly 100 hot air balloons descend on Memorial Park for a colorful three-day weekend.  Get up early to watch the hot air balloons lift off at 7 AM, and come back in the evening for the “Balloon Glo”, when all the ballons are inflated (but not launched) and their bright colors glow against the beautiful Colorado sky!

Colorado Balloon Classic by ecreyes on Flickrf

Colorado Balloon Classic by ecreyes on Flickr

Here’s the schedule of events for the weekend:

Saturday, September 5, 2009
American Medical Response Honor Guard – Showmobile 6:00 AM
National Anthem: Andy Hackbarth -Announcer’s Stage 6:00 AM
Red Herring Productions – Launch Field 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Enroute Music – Kid’s Fun Zone 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Pilot & Crew Briefing (Public is invited) – Announcer’s Stage 6:10 AM
Inflate Pathfinder Balloon 6:40 AM
Mass Ascension of Hot Air Balloons 7:00 AM
Concert: Andy Hackbarth – Showmobile 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Pikes Peak Powered Paragliders Club Flight – Rose Bowl 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Remote Control Hot Air Balloon Display – Launch Field 8:00 AM – 10:00 a.m
Wings of Blue Parachute Demonstration Team – Rose Bowl 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Faith Martial Arts – Kid’z Fun Zone 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

Pikes Peak Volkswagen Club – Launch Field 4:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Red Herring Productions – Launch Field 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Remote Control Hot Air Balloon Display – Launch Field 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Faith Martial Arts – Kid’s Fun Zone 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Concert: The Legend Band – Showmobile 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Pikes Peak Powered Paragliders Club Flight – Rose Bowl 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Pilot & Crew Briefing (Public is invited)Announcer’s Stage 7:05 PM
Lay out Balloons for Balloon Glo® 7:30 PM
Inflate Balloons for Balloon Glo® 8:00 PM

Sunday, September 6, 2009
American Medical Response Honor Guard and - Showmobile 6:00 AM
National Anthem: Frank Kafka – Announcer’s Stage 6:00 AM
Enroute Music – Kid’s Fun Zone 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Red Herring Productions – Launch Field 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Pilot & Crew Briefing (Public is invited) -Announcer’s Stage 6:10 AM
Inflate Pathfinder Balloon – 6:40 AM
Mass Ascension of Hot Air Balloons-7:00 AM
Concert: One Way – Showmobile 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Pikes Peak Powered Paragliders Club Flight – Rose Bowl 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Remote Control Hot Air Balloon Display – Launch Field 8:00 AM -10:00 AM
Faith Martial Arts – Kid’s Fun Zone 8:30 am. – 9:00 AM

Red Herring Productions – Launch Field 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Remote Control Hot Air Balloon Display -Launch Field 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Concert: The Chris Como Band – Showmobile 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Faith Martial Arts – Kid’s Fun Zone 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Pikes Peak Powered Paragliders Club Flight – Rose Bowl 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Lay out Balloons for Balloon Glo® – 7:30 PM
Inflate Balloons for Balloon Glo® – 8:00 PM

Monday, September 7, 2009
American Medical Response Honor Guard – Showmobile 6:00 AM
National Anthem: Colorado Springs Conservatory -Announcer’s Stage 6:00 AM
Red Herring Productions – Launch Field 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Enroute Music – Kid’s Fun Zone 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Pilot & Crew Briefing (Public is invited) -Announcer’s Stage 6:10 AM
Inflate Pathfinder Balloon – 6:40 AM
Mass Ascension of Hot Air Balloons – 7:00 AM
Concert: Colorado Springs Conservatory – Showmobile 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Pikes Peak Powered Paragliders Club Flight – Rose Bowl 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Faith Martial Arts -Kid’s Fun Zone 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

Balloons by M.V. Jantzen on Flickr

Balloons by M.V. Jantzen on Flickr

Here’s more information you might find helpful:

Parking for the Colorado Balloon Classic

There is no public parking inside Memorial Park for the Balloon Classic (with the exception of handicap parking, which is located at Setich Ice Center and accessible off Union Blvd). You’ll need to park on the streets and parking lots around Memorial Park – pay careful attention to no parking signs and lots that charge fees, and of course don’t park in front of driveways.

Where to watch the hot air balloons

The balloon launch area is in the middle of the park, to the north of Prospect Lake. Many events are held at the Rose Bowl, which is on the south side of the park, off Hancock. The Balloon Classic website has a map of the park with notes on where major events are held.  (Note that their map has north to the left, not at the top as is standard!)

Other important info

City ordinance prohibits pets from attending the Balloon Classic. Alcoholic beverages are also not allowed.  Smoking is not allowed on the launch field.

Organizers suggest bringing a flashlight if you attend any of the evening events.

You can view a list of the participating balloons and pilots, and read more about the event on the official site.  We’ll see you there!

If you want something to do this weekend and hot air balloons aren’t your thing, here’s more things to do in Colorado Springs.

No fireworks at Memorial Park this year

May 20, 2009 By

Just found out this morning that there won’t be the traditional fireworks show at Memorial Park this year – the city of Colorado Springs is nixing it because of budget cuts.  While the cost of the fireworks is typically donated, the city contributes some of its own services like police and medical personnel, as well as cleanup crews, and according to a city spokesperson, the cost runs between $80,000-100,000.

We went to the fireworks show at Palmer Lake last year, and it was a lot of fun – though I fear the thousands of people that normally go to the Memorial Park show may decide to go to Palmer Lake, making it even more crowded than it already is!  There are several other places to watch fireworks shows in Colorado Springs (and Denver) – when it gets closer to the date I’ll do a wrapup of them.

Maybe a donor will step up and donate the funds for the traditional Memorial Park celebration, like happened with the Uncle Wilber fountain in Acacia Park.  If not, the show will truly be missed.