Balloon Fest to lift off May 18

Submitted by Canton1 on

 

 

 

The top 15 things you need to know about this year’s Tailwind Regional Balloon Fest sponsored by ReMax Landmark as presented by the Canton Texas Visitors Bureau.
1.) The Balloon Festival will be located on the West Side of the First Monday Grounds in Canton.  Enter through the West Gate off of Hwy. 859 or on Flea Market Road (the Canton Civic Center entrance) off of Hwy. 64 in Canton;


2.) The festival is a two-day event.  The festival will open at 5 p.m. Friday, May 18, and 2 p.m., Saturday, May 19;


3.) Entry fee to the festival is $10 per car. If you have a van that seats 8 to 15 people, the price is $20 and the price for a bus is $50;


4.) There will be a free petting zoo and a free kid’s fun zone with numerous bounce houses. There will also be train rides. Be sure to bring some spending money for additional fun on the climbing wall, pony rides, running in a giant hamster ball, tethered hot air balloon rides and a gaming truck;


5.)  The Balloon Festival will be packed with great vendors this year including amazing food vendors. Festival T-shirts, glow sticks, and all kinds of crafts and merchandise will be available for purchase;  


6.) The local band ‘Breaking Southwest’ will perform on Friday, May 18;

 

7.)  Highlights of the festival includes two balloon glows on Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19. On May 18, there will be a smaller balloon glow but a balloon liftoff will follow at 7 p.m. (Saturday’s event will not include a balloon liftoff.) However, the balloon glow on Saturday will be twice the size as the balloon glow held on Friday. Eyes to the skies to watch the ReMax Skydiving team during the event.


8.) There will be an epic Battle of the Bands sponsored by Moore’s Store of Ben Wheeler on Saturday, May 19. The winning band will receive $1,500. There will also be a singer/songwriter’s competition with a $600 prize.  Come listen to all types of genres compete for the grand prize.


9.) Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, bean bags or whatever else you want to relax on in the glow area! 


10.) The Car Show will only be held Saturday, May 18.   You don’t want to miss all of the classic cars from the East Texas area out revving up their engines. The car show will be hosted by RG Car Shows.


11.) There will be tethered balloon rides during the festival (timing depending on the weather.) Pricing for adults is $20 and children, $15. 

 

12.) If you are looking for a heart-pounding adventure, book an untethered balloon flight that will take you over Canton.  The flights require advance booking, and will last about an hour and a half. The cost for the flight is $250. Hot hors-d'oeuvres and a beverage are provided once the flight has landed.  

 

13.) The 5k Glow Run will start at 9:15 p.m. on Friday, May 19.  The race is free to run; however, there is a cost to get into the festival.  There will be T-shirts and other glow merchandise for purchase.   If you aren’t running, be sure to come out and support those who are. 


14.) Don’t forget to come out and check the skies during competition hours (7 to 9 a.m. May 18-20) to watch the hot air balloons compete for prizes.  This is a good chance to see the balloon pilots navigate the wind to drop a bean bag and other markers on small targets. 

 

15.) Come out to the festival site from 6:30 to 9 a.m., Saturday, May 19 to watch the start of the Half Marathon and 10k and to watch the balloons compete.

 

For those interested in competing visit www.CantonHalf.com for more information.

 

To volunteer for the event or for more information call 903-567-1849 or visit the website, www.ballonfestcanton.com