PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Crown of Maine Balloon Festival will welcome 15 pilots to northern Maine for a fun-filled weekend of balloon flights and other activities.
The festival, now in its 15th year, will begin on Thursday, Aug. 23, with balloon flights at 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds and with the Presque Isle Street Fair at 6 p.m. on Main Street. Local band New Energy will provide the evening’s entertainment while local food vendors will be set up along the street. The street fair has become a popular event during the festival over the past eight years, according to Lisa Wark, executive assistant for the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce.
Friday and Saturday balloon launches will occur, weather permitting, twice a day at 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., with the final mass ascension scheduled for 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26. Thirteen out of the 15 pilots are returning to Aroostook County to show off their balloons, including “Freedom Flyer,” flown by Mark Fritze of Tallahassee, Florida; “Destination Unknown,” flown by Mark Stodolski of Auburn, Massachusetts; and “Queen of Hearts,” flown by Derek Smith of Presque Isle.
Spellbound II, piloted by Randy Lee of Four Oaks, N.C., took flight over the Brewer Road in Presque Isle during the 2016 Crown of Maine Balloon Festival. (Paula Brewer)
Folks will have a chance to meet the pilots and their crew members during a breakfast and meet-and-greet session held 7-10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25, at the Chapman Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club and again at a meet and greet event held 2-4 p.m. Saturday at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds.
Other popular events scheduled at the fairgrounds during the festival include a craft fair, in which vendors will sell everything from jewelry, art, ceramics and sweets, 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday; a children’s muster hosted by the Presque Isle Fire Department at 1 p.m.; and a performance from local band Tennessee Haze at 4:30 p.m. A Kids Karnival will include an inflatable bounce house and slides from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The ever popular balloon glows will take place every night at dusk while tethered rides will also be available.
A hot air balloon hovers above the Aroostook River in Presque Isle after launching from the Northern Maine Fairgrounds during the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival in August 2010.
(Brian Swartz | BDN)
“The Crown of Maine Balloon Festival brings in thousands of spectators and participants to the event all while promoting family fun and the region itself,” Wark said. “The event is a great way to show off the beauty of The County and all that we have to offer.”
Passenger flights typically last from 45 minutes to over an hour and cost $200 per person in the morning or evening. Tethered rides are limited to 150 passengers on a first-come, first served basis and cost $5 for children under age 12 and $10 for people 12 years and older. Tickets for tethered rides will go on sale at 4 p.m. during each evening of the festival.
To reserve a balloon flight, contact the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce at (207) 764-6561. For a complete schedule of events, visit online: http://www.crownofmaineballoonfest.org/.
