Hot air balloons festival returns this weekend
Jul. 7—DANVILLE — Summer fun and festivals continue with Balloons Over Vermilion Friday and Saturday at Vermilion Regional Airport, 22633 N. Bowman Ave., Danville.
This is the sixth annual hot air balloons festival. There will be balloon fly-outs, tethered balloon rides, balloon school, the children's area, live music, food, craft/vendor fair and more.
Thursday night's Splash-n-Dash hosted by the Danville Boat Club is the unofficial kickoff for Balloons Over Vermilion. There will be 10 balloonists competing to come closest to a target on Lake Vermilion in front of the Danville Boat Club for cash prizes. A few other pilots, who will already be in Danville, will also be flying.
Gates open at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Cost is $5 for adults. Children ages 10 and younger are free.
Gates at the airport open at 3 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. Gates close at 11 p.m.
Admission and parking: $5 per person for admission, age 10 and under are free with each paid adult; $5 for parking — per vehicle; $25 RV Parking — no utilities or water. Tickets will be available at gate. Cash only and will be collected when you park.
According to Cassie Keister, marketing/media chairwoman, there are no shuttles into the event.
She says there is plenty of parking at the airport and they have a great crew of seasoned experts.
Keister added there will not be much internet service on the grounds, but there will be two ATMs at the event.
The 2022 BOV Student Ambassadors are Abby Carlton's third grade class at Garfield Elementary School, which closed as the end of the school year in June.
There will be more than 30 hot air balloons. Two special-shaped balloons this year are a fish named Finley and a pig name Chris P. Bacon.
There will be T6 flyover prior to the Parade of Pilots at 6 p.m. Friday night. Balloon launches are approximately at 6:30 p.m. both nights, weather permitting. Balloon glows start about 8:30 p.m.
A craft/vendor fair is taking the place of a carnival this year. There will be 24 vendor booths, with artists and vendors selling boutique items, crafts, clothing, accessories, jewelry, cutlery, toys, decor items, blown glass and other items. Hours are the same as the event.
There also are more than 20 food vendors.
The children's area will include: Danville Area Community College video gaming, inflatables, crafts, Joyful Bubbles, face painting, free lawn games (Twister, Jenga and Kerplunk) and Touch A Truck.
A WWII B-25 bomber aircraft will be on display with rides for sale. There will also be a mobile display that the Army is bringing in a large walk-through truck.
Amazing Giants stilt walkers and fire spinners are back.
In addition, there is the Balloon Photo Booth, and a bags tournament is on Saturday.
The Salt Fork football team is assisting this year with set up and take down of the event. They will get a donation afterward.
Airport Manager Alex Gale said they are looking forward to another great year of BOV.
"Last year we saw record numbers and I have no doubt we will hit those numbers again this year. We are more than happy to provide the grounds for this event as well as put in extra care and attention to the airfield to help support the large number of spectators we see," according to Gale.
"The volunteers and committee members of BOV are second to none. They make hosting this event an absolute breeze. The airport has certain protocols and expectations to uphold with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and Illinois Department of Aviation, and BOV is very understanding and accommodating of that. Many people may not realize that we are an active airport during this time. We keep our main runway open and accessible to any aircraft wanting to fly in/out during BOV. Last year, we had planes and balloons landing all at the same time. It was a wonderful display of aviation for the community to witness and having the B-25 added into the mix is even better," Gale stated.
The event is made possible through its sponsors and volunteers.
Visit the Balloons Over Vermilion website at www.balloonsoververmilion.com or its Facebook page for updates and event information.
