On September 5th, Kenny and I celebrated our sixteenth wedding anniversary with hot air balloons! We have some friends who own a balloon and participate in the local balloon festival every year. This year, they needed some extra hands and asked us to help crew for the day! Typically, all of the balloons launch from the same location. Because of COVID this year, the balloons launched from many different sites around town. We really enjoyed interacting with maybe 50 people versus the thousands that usually attend this event.
We’ve been attending the balloon festival for many, many years and have some wonderful memories. See previous posts here: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. Working up close with the balloon was so much fun and we thoroughly enjoyed it!
Setting up before sunrise…
Checking winds
Drake, in the cowboy hat, has been a classmate of Anna’s since Kindergarten. His family owns the balloon.
Launching…
Burning off some steam
Chasing the balloon around town…
Landing and packing up…Landing involved quickly pulling over to the side of the road and racing through the field to help hold the balloon down as it landed. 
Tailgating afterwards…We all met at a park afterwards for some yummy food and a balloon ceremony.
All of the kids chasing geese.
Drake & Anna
The balloon glow that evening…Due to wind we couldn’t inflate the balloons but we still enjoyed the beautiful sunset and time with friends.
Way to go James!
