Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival Video
Soaring Above the Hudson Valley!
Another Weekend, Another Thing To Do In The Hudson Valley!
This year, Ramblin’ Hudson Valley was extremely excited to be included in the Media Event and Weekend for the 28th Annual Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival held in Rhinebeck, NY. The festival itself ran from July 12th to the 14th and was expected to eclipse last years attendance of 35,000. The event, now in the 28th year, is held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds and is presented by the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce
The Media Event
It’s summer, and I’ve interned my daughters at Ramblin’ Hudson Valley to assist with filming, interviews and to help them experience many of the awesome people, places & events that are here. Arriving on Wednesday evening at the Fairgrounds, the Dutchess Chamber, and Ayla Rector, Director of Marketing and Communication openly greeted us, as we went about meeting the hosts, guests, vendors, and sponsors. Dutchess Tourism, Inc, Adams Fairacre Farms, Millbrook Vineyard and Winery, Angry Orchards, Red-Eye Productions, Balloon Meisters Michelle and Roger Hooper, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro and our excellent entertainment, Ian Flanagan! A special thanks to our balloon captain, Scott Griswald of Above All Balloon Rides for a safe landing!
Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival Highlights:
Balloonists and Balloons
The weekend event began a lot differently, with the last couple of years centralizing the festival at the Fairgrounds. Balloon Meister Roger Hooper talked to us briefly on the media night, telling us to prepare for “Lots of fun, Balloon Magic, a lot of activities, and the weather is set for a great weekend of flight.” And right he was, as that evening, as well as the rest of the weekend we prepared for over 100 balloons to take flight!
Morning Rise
Saturday morning I returned by 4:30 am to prepare for the days opening events and was not disappointed. From a flurry of activity, it was terrific to see the work put into making sure the safety and enjoyment of the public were ready. As I watched the sunrise and grabbed some shots of the balloons doing the same I was thrilled that the festival was off to a great day. The morning timeframe both Saturday and Sunday allowed for access to the festival and an up-close and personal look at the balloons. It was pretty neat to be able to talk directly to folks like Scott Griswald and other pilots about their experiences and their craft.
Taking A Ride:
One of my daughters and I took the balloon ride on the media event night, and it was so much fun. The motion was so smooth that one of the fellow journalists that night (who was afraid of heights?!?) suddenly realized we were up off the ground, and a white knuckle grip ensued. The heat from the propane burner was so neat to be able to see and feel it two feet in front of your face.
Family Fun and Events:
The early am viewing each day was then closed down, to reopen later for the full festival with food and craft beverages, entertainment and music, activities for all ages, helicopter, tethered and full hot-air balloon rides. Whether you wanted to let the little ones take a train ride around the fairgrounds, let them run through the inflatable obstacle course or just bask in the Moon Glow, young imaginations were captured that day (except for the early morning, lots of yawning faces then!) This is a Hudson Valley event not to missed each year.
In Closing...
Special thank you to Ayla Rector and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce for hosting us and partnering with us for an awesome Hudson Valley Giveaway! Thank you to my daughters for their first outing assisting their dad (great job ladies)! There was so much to do all weekend there, not just at the event but also in the surrounding Rhinebeck area, as we stopped in Samuels Sweet Shop, Megabrain Comics and Buns (FYI, if you like chicken, their Dirty Bird is delish!) to name a few.
