StayCation for Some This Labor Day Includes A Hot Air Balloon Ride

2009-09-05 13:53:13 - StayCation: ‘The act of staying near home and enjoying the local sites and activities’ is making a comeback this Labor Day weekend in Michigan.

Plymouth, MI – StayCation: ‘The act of staying near home and enjoying the local sites and activities’ is making a comeback this Labor Day weekend. Some are splurging on a hot air balloon flight over Kensington Park in Milford or Island Lake State Park in Brighton, Michigan says Scott Lorenz, President and Chief Pilot of Westwind Balloon Company of Plymouth,
Michigan.

www.westwindcos.com/balloon

“With the Michigan economy in its current state, people are rediscovering the fun stuff to do near their homes, “ says Lorenz. Why drive 4 hours when you can enjoy the nearby parks with lakes and streams and wildlife right here in Oakland County.

"Passengers love taking photos from the balloon especially when we fly over Kensington Park, it’s fabulous, it’s ten times better than people imagine. I just flew a couple the other night who said they decided to stay home, get a baby sitter and go flying with me over Kensington Park. They had canoed the park’s Huron River and had picnic in one of the dozens of cozy picnic areas. They just enjoyed each other’s company and the entire park. And they were 15 minutes from home if they had to check in on the kids.

Most balloon rides last about one hour and Lorenz flies over the woods and streams of Kensington Park. He and several other pilot friends meet at Park 'n Ride area off Milford Road and I-96 (exit # 155) about 2 1/2 hours before sunset. From there he’ll launch helium balloons, determine the wind direction, then take a short drive to one of nine launch sites in the area that give the best views and best landing sites downwind.

“Sometimes the landing can be like taking an elevator ride and others can be a little more exciting that’s why great care is taken in making the ‘go’ or ‘no-go’ decision on each flight based upon the weather.”

What to wear? Lorenz suggests passengers wear tennis shoes and jeans. He says the air temp “upstairs” is within a couple degrees of ground temp so its not a factor. Cameras and video cameras are highly recommended to preserve the once in a lifetime moments while flying over the countryside.

Flights cost $695 for a private ride which is two passengers and the pilot. All flights are pre-paid. Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover and PayPal are accepted. Gift certificates are available.

To schedule a StayCation Balloon ride, call Westwind Balloon Company of Plymouth, MI, Flying over Kensington Park, Brighton, South Lyon and Milford. 734-667-2098 www.westwindcos.com/balloon Scott Lorenz, Pilot and Owner.

About Scott Lorenz
Scott Lorenz, President of Westwind Balloon Company, has been a commercial balloon pilot since 1982, and has logged 1,450 + hours as pilot in command in a hot air balloon. Scott’s memorable ballooning experiences include: Flying over Niagara Falls, The Great Wall of China, Disney World, the Olympics in Calgary, St. Wolfgang, Austria, Saga, Japan, the Grand Prix in Spain, co-piloting one of two balloons for Mike Howard’s Guinness World Record ”balloon walk” flight at 19,000 feet, a 20 hour-361 mile Gas Balloon flight with Gordon Boring and handling media relations for Kevin Uliassi’s Round the World balloon flights. Lorenz and his balloon exploits have been featured by FOX-2 News, Hour Detroit and The Detroit Free Press. A balloon flight on Westwind Co. was named "most creative date" by It’s Just Lunch. Westwind Balloon Company is a member of the Detroit Chamber of Commerce and the Southeast Michigan Balloon Federation (SEMBA). www.westwindcos.com/balloon

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Weather makes for ideal conditions at Lincoln Art and Balloon Festival

LINCOLN -- Sunshine and cool temperatures Saturday made for a perfect day for art and hot air balloon enthusiasts attending the Lincoln Art and Balloon Festival.

While only a handful of balloons were able to launch Friday night, on Saturday early morning festival goers were able to see the balloons fly into the Logan County Airport. One of those enjoying the view from the sky was Lincoln Mayor Keith Snyder, who received a "great surprise" when he was asked early Saturday morning to help crew and then ride in the "Travelin Lite" balloon piloted by Max Mitchell, the only pilot who has flown in each of the balloon festival's 21 years.

The view of Lincoln from a hot air balloon is "beautiful," according to Snyder, who described the scenery as "green fields" and "lots of trees."

A few hours later, with his feet firmly planted on a street near Latham Park, Snyder helped cut the ribbon to open the festival. Art enthusiasts then filled the sidewalks to view what Art Festival Co-Coordinator, Marty Ahrends described as a diverse mixture of art -- including stained glass, pottery, photography and even spray paint art.

At Cindy and Kirby Pringle's "Dogtown Artworks" booth, art lovers were treated to humorous "dog-people photographs." The husband-and-wife team combines photos of their two dogs, Barney and Buster, with those of human models, creating "dog people."

The idea began seven years ago, when Cindy took a photo of Kirby Pringle dressed in his bathrobe. She then replaced his head in the photo, with a photo of the head of their dog, and made it into a greeting card.

"I looked better with a dog head, so we kept it up," he said. After selling hand-colored black and white photos for many years prior to that, "our business went to the dogs," Cindy said.

Many of the photos feature Buster, a white boxer, with various items in his mouth--like ice cream cones, wax lips, fish, and spaghetti. Buster, known by the name Earl in the Pringles' works, has "great self-control," according to Kirby, and doesn't eat the items used in the photographs.

The Pringles are also selling two books featuring the dogs, aimed at adults and children. In one book, Barney, their boxer-mix who portrays Pearl, has to work hard to overcome an addiction to her bone phone and iPaw.

Besides laughing over the adventures of Earl and Pearl, children attending the Art Festival can create something of their own at the Children's Art Fair. For a $5 fee, options include tie-dye, making a 3-D hot air balloon or creating a food art project.

The hot air balloon activities concluded Saturday, but the art fair continues Sunday.

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Model stunt planned for Llangollen Hot Air Balloon Festival

A UNIQUE ‘little and large’ stunt is being planned at the Llangollen Hot Air Balloon Festival.

For the first time in the UK, organisers are planning to fly a remote control model balloon inside the super-heated envelope of a full-size balloon.

The idea has been hatched by festival director David Green and Andy Marshall, of Lindstrand Balloons, which organises the show within a show, the UK’s largest indoor model hot-air balloon festival.

It will be a feature of this year’s three-day festival which takes place on the weekend of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 4, 5 and 6, at the Royal International Pavilion.

The pair are warming up for the attempt by flying Andy’s model balloon inside David’s 60,000 cubic foot monster indoors at the pavilion.

Andy said: “That’s a first in itself. It’s never been done indoors but maybe that’s because there isn’t such a good venue for model hot air balloons as the pavilion.

“The roof is big and it’s nice and soft with no sharp bits and nothing to get tangled up in.

“We have to cold-inflate David’s balloon using a giant fan and then get mine up inside it and once it’s in there should be plenty of space for it to fly about in.”

David said: “It should look fantastic and will make for some amazing pictures.

“It will be tricky recreating it outdoors at the show with the high temperatures involved with a normal inflation and the need for absolute calm with no wind at all but if we can we’ll go for it.

“We should be able to switch the burners off for three or four minutes and that should give us time to get the model balloon in there and fly it about.

“It will still be very hot and we may have to look at some way of protecting the model balloon.”

The festival itself is Wales’s biggest hot-air balloon event and the model festival is the biggest in the UK with over 24 balloons taking part, including the one featured in a recent Tesco TV advert.

“It was shot in such a way that it looked full size but it was actually quite a small model,” said Andy:

“Model balloons can be up to 12 feet high so they’re quite substantial.”

The festival will open at 6pm on Friday night when, weather permitting, over 25 balloons will launch, and then it’s party time until 11pm with an outside stage featuring live music.

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Donations for ride in RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon

FORT MYERS: The RE/MAX Realty Group of Fort Myers tethered their balloon at the Southeast corner of Summerlin and Cypress Lake Drive in South Fort Myers on Saturday.

Visitors who brougt five cans of nonperishable food were able to go inside the ballon.

The food was donated the Harry Chapin Food Bank.

Additional information about or to contribute financially to the Harry Chapin Food Bank, contact 239-334-7007 or go to harrychapinfoodbank.org.

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Balloons ready for launch in Garden City

FINNEY COUNTY, Kansas – The Hot Air Balloon Classic starts this weekend in Garden City.

It’s not something you hear every day.

"My name is Royce Miller and I'm a balloonist, and the name of my balloon is the Green Hornet,” said Royce Miller, balloonist.

And for the kids, it’s surely not a sight they see every day.

“It was awesome,” said Jasper Partin.

But this weekend is the Sixth Annual Hot Air Balloon Classic in Garden City and the sky will soon be aglow with 13 of them. Even for some adults, it’s the first time they’ve ever seen a hot air balloon up close.

“Quite intimidating I think, it's a lot bigger down in person seeing it first hand rather than seeing it up in the air like you do,” said Brainna Bustamante, teacher at St. Mary’s School.

The kids watched in awe as Miller explained the history and mechanics of hot air ballooning. They also got an up-close look at putting one together and felt the head produced by the burner.

“It was kind of cool sitting with my friends, watching it blow up and turn around, we got to see the inside of it a little,” Partin said.

For nine years, Miller’s been piloting balloons. He says there’s nothing as peaceful as floating along the sky and he wants to spread the word. With his visits, he hopes to inform the public about the joys of ballooning and help the kids broaden their horizons.

"I encourage kids to come out and see balloons, I encourage their parents,” he said. “Like I said, it's just more for the whole family and I want, I like that when I see a family out together enjoying something like this.”

Opening ceremonies start Saturday morning with a balloon launch at 7 a.m. at the Finney County Fairgrounds.

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Hot-air balloon rides become occasions for celebration

COLUMBIA — Jocelyn Ash was thrilled last week to be soaring through the air in a giant, red gumball machine.

Jocelyn, 6, was taking her first hot-air balloon ride over Columbia.

Her father, Tony, is with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan. He set up the ride for his daughter and his wife, Aubrey, who had wanted to go up in a hot-air balloon her entire life.

“I had told her that Dad set up a really cool surprise, but she had no idea,” Aubrey Ash said about her daughter's experience.

There seems to be a trend toward making celebrations special by signing up for a hot-air balloon ride. Jan and Gary Sines, owners of BalloonStormers, said half their rides are contracted to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, marriage proposal or other occasion. Jan Sines said people have even flown in the middle of winter as a Christmas gift.

“We have had several people say they are crossing it off their ‘bucket list,’” she said.

Thirteen-year-old Koby Gilleland celebrated his birthday July 7 in a balloon.

After spotting them in the air when he was a child, Koby mentioned to his family that it would be fun to ride in one. So his grandmother took a ride with him, his sister Kaydee and a good friend.

Koby said they flew low so he could float down by the trees and pick leaves, then rose high in the air where the houses on the ground looked tiny.

“I just can’t put into words when you get up there how exciting it is,” Koby's grandmother Joan Gleb said.

Gleb bought her grandson a shirt from BalloonStormers to remember the event and customized it by writing: “13. Wild and Adventurous!”

Because people see balloon rides as delivering a special memory, Jan Sines said they encourage riders to photograph the experience. Passengers can also help to inflate the balloon, and every trip ends with a champagne toast.

Mabel Fischer celebrated her 90th birthday last August by seeing the world from a balloon with her sister.

“To me, it’s the most wonderful thing I ever did,” Fischer said.

She said she loved being able to see the town from a bird's perspective and fondly remembers going over a lake.

“We could see our reflections, and I leaned over and wished myself a happy birthday,” she said.

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