BATON ROUGE — Most people in Louisiana associate propane tanks and burners with crawfish boils, but for the many people headed to the Capitol City, it can mean only one thing — hot air ballooning.
About 40 brightly colored teardrop-shaped aircraft will fill the skies Aug. 7-9 as pilots from Louisiana and 10 other states compete in the Pennington Louisiana State Hot Air Balloon Championship. Balloon pilots fly their 65,000-90,000 cubic foot airships in pursuit of targets posted around the city and toss beanbags to see who was best able to navigate the winds.
Baton Rouge has hosted ballooning events for decades and for a while was the site of the national championship.
Ballooning Foundation Director and pilot George Richard says the race is "the best use of hot air in America," poking fun at the political hot air emitted by the state Legislature and Congress.
Sports Illustrated proclaimed the event one of "America's Top 25 Summer Essentials," he said, and AAA labeled it a "Travel Treasure."
Louisiana pilots include Ryan Richard, of Ruston, son of the event director; Gary Odom, of Ruston; Mark Evans, of Lafayette; Ted Habetz, of New Iberia; Bob Pulaski and David Miller, of Pineville; Leslie Jeansonne, of Prairieville; Karen Kent, of Port Allen; Robert Ambeau, of Gonzales; and Richard, Deanna Albaugh, John Good and Lamar Poole, of Baton Rouge.
About 60,000 spectators attend each year because they have the chance to wander between the massive balloons as they are inflating and watch as they take off from a field at the Pennington Biomedical Research facility along Perkins Road, Richard said.
While the balloons are aloft and between events, bands entertain the crowds. A large children's play area offers numerous amusements.
"The race keeps being well-attended because Louisiana delivers the best local hot air balloon race in the nation," Richard said. "Thirty-eight pilots from 11 states are flying back this year because they have fun, too. And it's an all-family free event that kids of all ages enjoy."
Leo Honeycutt, spokesman for the event, laid out the schedule.
Competition for State Balloon Champion is over a three-morning period, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Pilots meet at sunrise, get coordinates for drop sites and plot their routes as best they can, depending on wind currents.
In the "Pole Grab," pilots triangulate wind currents from a mile away aiming for a 30-foot-tall "Red Stick" on the top of which is a cash prize. They have one shot as they fly by the pole and sometimes pilots have to try to wait their turn to get to the pole — if they can find a dead spot or circular currents.
Musical entertainment starts at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday and a Children's Village hosted by the Baton Rouge Recreation Department opens at 4 p.m.
Weather permitting, at 6 p.m., the U.S. Army "Black Daggers" skydiving team does stunts as it twirls down from the sky and 20 balloons launch in a mass ascension.
At 8 p.m. each night, balloons come back to Pennington for a nighttime "balloon glow," firing off burners to create seven-story-tall light bulbs. The crowd is encouraged to walk between the balloons or just sit back and "enjoy the glow."
Skydivers jump again wearing rockets for a light show amid the stars. A fireworks show set to music caps off each night.
The event and parking are free with food and drink booths on site.
Honeycutt recommends, "Bring a blanket and camera."
All events are subject to weather conditions.
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