The Mountaineer Balloon Festival - Over the Years
|
By: Van F. Anderson, Founder and Balloonmeister For over two decades, the Mountaineer Balloon Festival has been a popular event in Morgantown's busy fall schedule, bringing a variety of color to the sky to augment the seasonal coloring of the foliage. From the first balloon ascension of twenty balloons, witnessed by hundreds of spectators from the Morgantown Municipal Airport back in 1984, the event has grown to include over 40 balloons and thousands of spectators in recent years. Although many local residents look forward to this event, most of the balloonists also view participation in the Mountaineer Balloon Festival as an essential part of their personal balloon season schedule. The majority of those balloonists attending this event are "regulars" from West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, with others from more distant states. For most of them, the trip to Morgantown represents the close of another season of ballooning. Although the initial site of the festival was the Morgantown Airport, the terrorist attack of 2001 caused the FAA to close airports, and then open them up to only those aircraft with Mode C (altitude emitting) transponders - equipment that is not common to balloons. Hence, it was obvious that using an airport for balloon festivals would be subject to random acts resulting in FAA restrictions that could result in a festival being cancelled just days before it was scheduled to start. So, the festival was moved to Mylan Park. In so doing, many benefits were realized. First of all, the balloon launch area is in a bowl, or protected area, allowing for easier inflations than were generally experienced at the windy airport location. Secondly, the inherent danger of having spectators drive across the runway of an operating airport was no longer a factor. Third, because the launch area is more than five miles from the Morgantown Air Traffic Control Tower, it is outside Morgantown Airspace, and launching of balloons can take place when visibility is less than would be required at the airport. The success of the festival has evolved due to the intense investment of human and other resources from BOPARC, sponsors, and volunteers over the years, as well as the financial support of local businesses. Without this broad community support, the festival would not have survived. In reflecting on the years, I find a great amount of satisfaction when people relate to me their joy of watching balloons float over the blue Monongalia County sky, or even better - when they express their excitement involved with their first balloon flight. As a result, ballooning has found a home in Morgantown, to the delight of thousands who might have otherwise never had the opportunity to experience the uniqueness of ballooning. |