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Balloon Festival organizers see event popularity take off
By Kim Nguyen, knguyen@acnpapers.com
The EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival lifts off Friday to celebrate its 30th year of providing safe, family fun to the North Texas area and as one of the most anticipated events of the year.
The festival serves as one of the area’s most successful fundraisers for area non-profit groups and organizations. The small community event that began in 1979 has blossomed into a huge event. Through the years, the festival has generated more than $2 million to benefit area non-profits.
“This is our 30th birthday this year,” said Jo Via, festival executive director. “From children’s activities to [number of] port-a-potties, everything we’ve done for the festival has gotten larger -- increased number of food and merchandise vendors, increased number of participating non-profits, increased population.”
Randy Wright, president of the Plano Chamber of Commerce at the time, had purchased a hot air balloon to promote his real estate business. He was taking lessons to receive his pilots license when his instructor suggesting having a balloon festival.
“I said, ‘That’s a great idea! What is it?’” Wright recalled. “He told me and I knew immediately that it was something we can do.”
Wright presented the idea to Jim Marshall, director of the Balloon Academy of Texas, and Markita Thompson, director of the Plano Chamber of Commerce Women’s Division.
“Co-chairing the very first Plano Balloon Festival -- an ambitious three-day event to provide family fun for the thriving community of Plano -- was an amazing challenge,” said Markita Thompson, who was elected to the Plano Chamber of Commerce board of directors as director of the Women’s Division. “I loved the vision of the skies of Plano being filled with gorgeous hot air balloons and agreed to co-chair the project immediately.”
Thompson led a team of organizers went out to sell sponsorships for the First Annual Plano Invitational Balloon Rally with some success. About 42 pilots and balloons were scheduled to lift off for the fundraiser.
“From that point on, I was off and running and there was no stopping until the final flight of the final day,” she said. “We successfully accomplished everything and more that we set out to do, including praying for great weather.”
Despite beginning the day with thunder, lightning and pouring rain, the first balloon launch took place on the afternoon of Oct. 17. The balloons launched from a field near the Willow Bend Polo Hunt and Tennis Club, which is roughly where The Shops at Willow Bend are currently, with about 10,000 spectators attending. The balloon festival has been a hit ever since.
“High winds prevented the last launch [of the festival], but four out of five scheduled launches were highly successful,” Thompson said. “The community of Plano had fallen in love with hot air balloons.”
The traffic on Plano roadways stopped for miles in every direction as drivers pulled over to watch the balloons take to the air.
“It truly was one of the most memorable and exciting times in the history of Plano, Texas,” Thompson recalled.
At the time, no one ever thought the festival would go on to see its 30th anniversary flight.
“When we were organizing it, we named it the ‘first annual’ because we were anticipating that it would be something that would be doing in the later years, but we never knew it would be as big as it is now,” Wright said.
Thompson agreed saying that the growth of the balloon festival every year correlates to the growth of the city.
“We had a vision in 1980 of how a Plano balloon festival could impact our growing city in a positive way,” she said. “Now that the [EDS Credit Union] Plano Balloon Festival is synonymous with the city of Plano, I can say, ‘Wow!’ and that it has totally exceeded our expectations. It was a thrill in 1980 and continues to be exciting in 2009 on the 30th anniversary.”
After brief stints at the Dallas North Airport and Bob Woodruff Park, the festival found its home at Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve. Since settling down at Oak Point 10 years ago, Via said the event has gone to new heights.
“The festival started out with just only a handful of non-profits, and now we’ve got up to 41,” she said. “Since moving to Oak Point, we’ve seen the greatest influx of growth in all aspects.”
At one point, the festival grew to incorporate as many as 100 hot air balloons launch and glow from the main launch field. Seeing that the balloons and pilots had a very limited amount of space to work with, festival officials decided to scale back. The festival has been in full swing ever since.
The 30th year of the festival is one to celebrate.
“For 29 years, families have been making memories with the balloon festival. Now we’re approaching the second generation of Plano residents who have been given pleasure and made wonderful memories through the festival,” Via said. “Just to be associated with that is the reason why we keep it going.”
The 2009 EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival is expected to bring in 95,000 people.
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