Ballooning competition to float through Baton Rouge

The balloons are back!

Sixty hot-air balloons are set to dot the skies over Baton Rouge for three days in two competitions for the 2007 Pennington Balloon Championships.

Some 30 pilots from 15 states will compete to prove who the best hot-air balloon pilot is in the Southeastern U.S. Regional Hot-Air Balloon Championship.

And 30 more pilots will battle in the 2007 Louisiana State Hot-Air Balloon Championship.

The free and open-to-the-public event takes place Aug. 10-12 on the grounds of the Pennington Biomedical Research Facility.

“The event is an extended-family event,” said Louisiana Ballooning Foundation Executive Director George Richard. “This year’s show opening will be highlighted by the U.S. Army Black Daggers parachute team and daytime fireworks. It’s a big show, and even though the crowds are large, everyone has the best seat in the house.”

The pilots are competing for $20,000 in each of the contests as well as a chance to win a balloon trailer.

“I think it’s going to be a good competition. We have some good pilots coming in. A lot of them have just finished the national championships,” said one of the pilots competing at the event, Karen Kent.

The competition is expected to be huge. It has drawn more than 100,000 spectators from around the world in past years. Spectators come for the balloons as much as they come for the skydivers, fireworks, bands and Louisiana cuisine.

The food, however, isn’t free.

Early birds can watch the balloons rise with the sun and have a chance to take some of the best pictures of the balloons, as the pilots will set up to launch just before dawn, preparing for daily competitions.

Kent is a photographer-turned-competitive hot-air balloon pilot. She suggested the best time to take some good photos would be in the early mornings on Friday and Saturday on the Pennington grounds.

“It’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be a great spectator event for photographers,” said Kent. “Get to the target fields early, particularly the Pennington site. They need to get there right about sunrise and they’ll get some good shots of balloons flying into the field.”

Richard said the general public should come late Friday and Saturday afternoon for the best of the ballooning activity.

On Friday and Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m., the U.S. Army Black Daggers parachute team will dart down from the sky and the balloons will lift off in a mass ascension.

The balloons will be back at 8 p.m. for an awe-inspiring “balloon glow,” as pilots fire off their burners to make a kaleidoscope of seven-story light bulbs.

Fireworks will close off both nights.

The event will also feature gift booths, a BREC-sponsored children’s playground and a rock wall.

Visitors are advised to carpool, as parking is limited, and to bring a blanket and camera.

All the balloons at the event will have the traditional round shape. And most of them will be smaller racing balloons.

There are no rainout dates for the event, but Richard joked he already spoke to God about the weather.

And there will be no balloon rides. The FAA prohibits this.

For more information, log onto www.laballooning.com.

Ballooning competition to float through Baton Rouge