70 hot air balloons take flight in the Panhandle

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. — Balloon festival employees said over 4,000 people gathered in Scottsbluff to watch the mass ascension.

The Old West Balloon Fest is taking place in Scottsbluff from Aug. 10th until Aug. 13th.

Hot air balloons were released every day of the festival. There were two groups of pilots at the festival; The Old West were weekend pilots from the surrounding area, and the National Pilots were pilots who came from all over the country to compete.

The National Pilots competed every morning beginning Aug. 8th until the 13th, but the festival was not open to the public until August 10th during the Opening Night Glow. This event is from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with pilots set to take lift off into the dusk sky as long as the weather permits.

The main event is the Mass Ascension from Aug. 12th to 13th from 5:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Friday morning there were around 70 balloons that were released during the mass ascension.

On Saturday the same event continues, followed by a craft fair, corn hole tournament, and closing night show that will feature another night glow lift-off.

Executive Committee Member for Old West Balloon Fest Ray Richards said the festival started in 1987 and fizzled out at some point through the years.

Richards and the rest of the executive committee brought the festival back in 2015.

“During the summer of 2015 we re-inflated the event, and we were here at this very spot in 2015,” Richards said.

Richards said there were about 4,000 to 5,000 people at the mass ascension on Friday and the number of attendances will double or triple for Saturday’s festivities.

“Every segment has its own excitement,” Richards said. “Watching them unload to get the cold air into the balloon, going hot with the burners and then actually lifting off.”

Richards said the most difficult part of coordinating the event is getting enough volunteers but it’s always worth the trouble when he sees all the people and balloons.

“Every aspect has its own fun stuff with it,” Richards said. “Some people are getting rides, the look on their faces when they lift-off.”

Richards said the committee plans to keep the festival going for the foreseeable future because it benefits the town.

“Any event of this size is important for any community,” Richards said. “It benefits so many people at a variety of levels for events like hot air balloons.”