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Show Autumnm Aloft is scenic precedent It was a weekend of firsts: Park City's first hot air balloon festival, the Treaty of Paris balloon's first wedding, Parkite Gene Moser's first solo as a balloon pilot and the first time dozens of Parkites experienced a ride in a hot air balloon. With clear skies and warm temperatures (once the sun came up) more than 8,500 people came to the Park Meadows Golf Course to watch as nearly two dozen brightly-colored hot air balloons bal-loons sailed over the course and over various parts of Park City. For many the weekend began on Friday morning, where at the entrance to the golf course the magnificent Treaty of Paris balloon was tethered for the weddinc of Mim Heggen and Ron Rinder knecht. Nearly 100 well-wishers well-wishers watched as the couple climbed into the balloon and were pronounced pro-nounced man and wife as they floated a few feet above the ground. Because a gentle wind had come up by this time the couple postponed their nuptial flight until Sunday morning. All day Friday balloonists began to arrive in town. They were an easy bunch to spot. Many had colorful chase vehicles with such descriptive bumper stickers as, "Caution, Contents Highly High-ly Inflatible" or "Some people chase rainbows; I chase balloons." By Friday evening's opening open-ing party, sponsors were meeting their pilots and arranging their crews for the early morning spectacular. spectacu-lar. And Saturday morning began early indeed. At 6:15 the pilots were huddled in the tent on the golf course warming their hands on their cups of coffee. At the pilot's briefing they were told the winds would be less than eight knots and the temperature into the low 70s. Balloonists hooked up with their crews at this point and headed out to the field to begin laying out their balloons. bal-loons. The rules for the day stated that no balloonist could begin inflation until the greenskeeper balloon, the American Express Blue Chip One, was inflated and in the air. Then each balloonist could begin filling the balloon for takeoff, but could not lift off until he ropivfH a tnlrpn from thp field marshal. Then, one by one, the gentle giants filled the grounds and then floated up into the now-blue skies. On both days, the rules called for the hare balloon, Blue Chip One, to land three times, placing a giant X on the ground each time. Each of the balloons was then to come as close as it could to those X's. With one the first day, a frisbee and on the second day, a dry sponge. Although the first-place prize money was $1,000, this was a race that was clearly meant to be fun. Balloonists can really only control the vertical movements of their craft. For the most part latteral movement is at the mercy of the winds. Each time the pilots landed they could replace their passengers with new passengers. Almost every balloonist chose to give as many new people rides as possible. In fact, at Sunday's award brunch, one pilot, Joe Wood, received a special award for giving the most people (a total of 27 in two days) a ride in his balloon. Because the winds tend to pick up as the day progresses, pro-gresses, balloons usually fly only in the mornings. Here, all crafts were down on the ground and deflating by 9:30 a.m. First-time riders were then treated to an initiation ceremony where they drank champagne and received a colorful pin from the balloon they rode in. But the festivities were far from over. As spectators strolled along the course, music from the bandstand filled the air as a variety of musical groups performed. Overhead, ultra-light crafts did some fancy flying and gliders landed right on the fairway. On Saturday, the precision Air Force jets, the F-10's did two passes over the area (while the Jan Mann singers softly sang God Bless America) and on Sunday the Cobra helicopters helicop-ters put on a display. Meanwhile, up at the tent, a number of restauranteurs were serving breakfast and lunch for the hungry masses. By 1 p.m. each day the events were over and the crowds off to other adventures. adven-tures. On Saturday night, the Park City Balloon Club hosted a dinner dance at the Holiday Inn. There were helium balloons and autumn wildflowers and much merriment. There were, blessedly, few speeches, just a chance for the pilot of the Treaty of Paris Balloon to state, "The Treaty of Paris Balloon could have flown in no more prestigous event to celebrate the first flight, than here, in Park City." Gene Moser, president of the Park City Balloon Club, had made his first solo flight a day earlier and he received re-ceived a public initiation of bubbly on his knees among friends. Balloonmeister Tom Nevison and his wife Marilyn Mari-lyn received flight passes from Western Airlines for all their hard work. At Sunday morning's pilot briefing the crews were moving a little slower; the previous evening's party had been a smashing success. suc-cess. Pilots learned the winds were up to more than fifteen knots and a toy balloon was released to show them the wind direction. It didn't seem to matter. By the time they were ready to lift, the winds had shifted no less than three times. The hare balloon took off and quickly began dropping drop-ping xs. The pilots inflated and were up in the air but they began dropping behind hillsides or climbing so high they took off for Snyderville and Silver Summit. (There is actually a certificate of landing that a balloonist gives to a land owner when he appears in your backyard.) back-yard.) Riders were treated to far more thrilling rides Sunday as winds took balloons in residential areas in Park Meadows and Ridgeview. One balloon .raced toward a fence only to have its crew, in the nick of time, push it away. Another balloon knocked into a roof and removed a single shingle. But balloonists seem to have an unwritten code of honor. In the case of the shingle displacement, the balloonist promptly landed his craft, rang the doorbell and told the man how to file a claim with the pilot's insurance company. At the awards brunch at Deer Valley Sunday, silver champagne buckets and elegant ele-gant silver trays were awarded to the winners. But all balloonists received back the $150 deposit they had originally sent in. The event ended with hugs and pins being exchanged, and farewells of "See you nextyear." According to Gene Moser, the Park City Balloon Club will begin investigating how to purchase a balloon of its own. And yes, there will be a Second Annual Autumn Aloft. |
