Festivals grab huge crowds

This year's Balloon Rally & Glow and the Big Bull Falls BBQ Ribfest brought in the largest crowd in their history, with about 65,000 people stopping by during the four-day run in Wausau.

That attendance total smashed the 2008 event turnout of about 40,000.

"We surpassed our crowd estimates every single night," said Leah Alters, executive director of Wausau Area Events, which produces the local attraction. "The airport lawn was packed. The open grass by the health care center was packed. There were several boats in Lake Wausau. We were full to capacity."

Once again, the ribs were a popular draw among hungry attendees, who chewed through about 3,660 ribs during the weekend, Alters said. Because the demand for ribs continues to increase, Alters hopes to add two more rib vendors next year.

Ohio-based My Happy Place, one of four rib vendors on hand, found out just how strong the demand for ribs was during the event.

On Friday night, My Happy Place burned through 57 cases of ribs, 27 more than it used during the 2008 event. By 9:30 that night, the vendor ran out of ribs, which forced its workers to drive to Illinois the next day to pick up additional cases from one of its partners.

"This proves that Wausau residents love hot air balloons and love to eat ribs," Alters said. "People were not just buying sampler plates. They were buying full slabs of ribs."

Attendees also were fond of the new balloon at this year's rally -- the Energizer Bunny Hot Air Balloon, dubbed the largest hot-air balloon in the world, Alters said. When inflated, the balloon is 166 feet tall, or 15 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Outside of the balloon launch and glow and the ribs, plenty of people found entertainment in other newly added attractions, such as kite flying, barnstormer flights, fireworks and live music.

To the north, dozens of professional and aspiring artists made use of the sunny weather on Saturday and Sunday by using chalk to decorate the City Square's concrete with vibrant colors for ChalkFest. The two-day event attracted 275 artists who created 225 different pieces of art, said Amy Frolik, one of the event's many organizers.

"The numbers just grow every year," Frolik said.

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