At 6:30 a.m. Saturday, 14 colorful hot air balloons took flight over Maumelle.
It was an unusual sight for central Arkansas, but one that some hope will become more routine.
The event was the third of five competitions in the Great War Memorial Balloon Race, which began Friday and ends today.
This was the inaugural race, but balloon event director Maury Petrehn said the response has been so great, it could turn into an annual event. More than 10,000 visitors had turned out to watch the events as of Saturday afternoon, he said.
“We’re hoping that we can iron out any growing pains of the first year ... and make it an annual thing,” he said. “We hope to be back and do bigger and better things next time.”
Although the event is called a race, it actually has nothing to do with speed, Petrehn said. Rather, the competition is navigational - balloonists compete to see who can drop items closest to a particular target.
The competing balloonists come from around the nation and include several from Arkansas.
Lt. Mike Wilson of the Maumelle Police Department was among the competitors Saturday. He’s been piloting hot air balloons for 25 years, he said, and it was also a hobby his father enjoyed.
“For the hot air balloonist, whether you’ve been to one festival or 50, it’s kind of like a reunion with old friends,” Wilson said. Flying “is a real stress-reliever for me. It’s just a lot of fun.”
Saturday’s race went smoothly, Petrehn said, although it had to be moved from its planned location in War Memorial Park because of the weather - there was no wind stirring in the park.
“Balloons are very weather-dependent. I don’t think people realize how weatherdependent,” he said. “Wecannot move without the wind.”
As of Saturday afternoon, all three of the five planned ballooning events had gone off without a hitch, Petrehn said, which is unusual for a balloon festival.
While the central Arkansas area provides beautiful scenery for balloon flights, navigating around Little Rock can be problematic, in particular, around the tall downtown buildings, Petrehn said.
Also, to avoid creating traffic problems on the ground, he said, ballooniststry to steer clear of busy roads.
Along with the weekend’s balloon flights, activities were scheduled for earthbound visitors on all three days. They included carnival games, live music and tethered balloon rides.
Admission is free, and much of the funding is coming from local businesses. Local nonprofit organizations such as B.I.G. Love Cancer Care and Special Olympics Arkansas are receiving portions of the profits from parking fees and alcoholic beverage sales.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 16 on 06/24/2012