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E-mail This StoryDuring the past 28 years, the Balloon Festival has attracted weekend crowds in excess of 80,000 people to participate in the weekend-long events and activities including a fireworks show, multiple performing arts stages, children’s hands-on activities and more.
Mayor Pat Evans proclaimed Sept. 19-21 as the Official 29th Annual EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival at the Sept. 8 City Council meeting.
At 6 p.m. on Sept. 19, High Jack, Miss Daisy, Pandy the Panda, Oggy the Dragon and Woodrow C. Greenleaf will be among the 65 hot air balloons in the skies to launch the 29th annual EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival.
Additional hot air balloon launches are scheduled for Sept. 20 at 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Sept. 21 at 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
“The Balloon Festival is a community festival that provides a venue for a ton of family entertainment throughout the weekend,” said Jo Via, Executive Director of the Plano Balloon Festival. “The venue also provides space for non-profit organizations in Plano to showcase their services to Festival participants.”
After the balloons land, festival spectators will be able to watch the balloons “Lite up the Night” with the new 103.7 FM Balloon Glow on Friday and Saturday nights, where balloon pilots will turn on the balloon burners as the sun sets.
Friday night is also Plano ISD “Go and Glow Night,” where Plano ISD and the Festival are collaborating to provide a free admission ticket to pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students and staff members at those levels.
“The Plano Balloon Festival is the best of its kind and brings national attention to our community each September,” said Nancy Long, Plano ISD communications coordinator. “It is a wonderful event for Plano families as well as other families in the area.”
Plano residents are encouraged to come out to Oak Point Park in East Plano and participate in the festivities. The KDFW FOX 4 Community Stage Schedule will hold performances from community groups throughout the weekend, presenters include the Wylie Competitive Youth Football Association (WCYFA) Pirate Cheerleaders, Plano-based Kung Fu school Shaolin Wu-Yi Institute, Dance Zone by Sarasue’s Academy of Dance in Plano, Falun Dafa practitioners, Chamberlain Musical Theatre Co., Hip Hop Nation, Repertory Dance Theatre of Texas, instep and E.C. Athletics All Star Cheer.
Live performances from Tony Vea and FM 544 Band, Kraig Parker as “Elvis,” The Impostles, Mount Righteous, Beatles Tribute Band “Me & My Monkey”, The Black Prairie Band, EDS Jazz Ensemble and the Plano Community Band will take place on the KLUV Main Stage throughout the Balloon Festival.
Hot air balloon rides will be sold on a first come, first serve basis with weather permitting at the pilot’s discretion. The ride booth will be located near the Main Entrance and will be open prior to each launch. Tickets are projected to cost $250 per person.
A plethora of city staff members will be on hand throughout the weekend to help during the Plano Balloon Festival to make it the “most successful balloon festival in Texas,” said City Manager Tom Muehlenbeck.
“The City of Plano has had a long-standing relationship with the Festival, which has become so popular and successful that the state legislature has named Plano as the Hot Air Balloon Capital of Texas,” Muehlenbeck said. “The weather looks like the weekend will be stunning, making a better reason for Plano citizens to participate in the biggest event in Plano.”
The success of the EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival is largely dependent on the participation of local area non-profits and community volunteers. The EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival’s commitment to the community is manifested in partnerships with local organizations, setting it apart from other events. More than 30 non-profit organizations will be showcased at the Festival as either food concessionaires, service providers or to create awareness for their organization’s services and programs.
“The majority of the monies raised for the Plano Balloon Festival, pays for the production costs of the Festival,” Via said. “There is also a scholarship available for Collin College. But the biggest contribution is from the non-profit organizations, which have circulated more than $2 million back into the Plano community since the Festival started.”
AMBUCS, Assistance Center of Collin County, Assistance League of Greater Collin County, Boys & Girls Club of Collin County, Collin County Ballet Theatre Guild, Collin County Community College Athletes, Collin County Community Service Workers, Collin County Republican Party, Collin County Sheriff Reserves, Crossroads Family Services, Democratic Party of Collin County, East Fork Masonic Lodge #650, First United Methodist Church, Girl Scout Troop #1747, Habitat for Humanity, Hope’s Door, Kiwanis Club, Knights of Columbus #6065, Knights of Columbus #7850, Libertarian Party of Collin County, Life Fellowship Ignite Team, Lions Club -- Mentor Leo Club, National Charity League, Operation Troop Aid, Plano Amateur Radio Klub, Plano Chamber of Commerce, Plano Children’s Medical Clinic, Plano East & West National Honor Societies, Plano Eastern Star, Plano Police Academy Alumni Group, Plano Shrine Club, Plano Symphony Orchestra, Plano West Rotary Club, Relief Nursery, SPCA of Texas, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Volunteers in Plano and the Young Men’s Service League are among the 38 non-profit organizations that have contributed to the 2008 EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival.
Corporate volunteers include: EDS Credit Union, EDS, an HP Company and JC Penney.
Festival admission is as followed: $5 per person one-day admission; $8 per person two-day ticket; $20 per person weekend ticket, up to a five-time admission into the Festival during the weekend; $4 per person discounted admission, if purchased between 9 a.m. and 3p.m.; $1 off for Seniors aged 65 or more; and free for children under 36 inches.
Official parking locations for the 2008 EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival will be at the Collin County Community College Spring Creek Campus, Oak Point Recreation Center at Jupiter Road and Spring Creek Parkway and First United Methodist Church at Parker Road and Spring Creek Parkway. There will be a $10 per car plus per person entrance fee.
The “Balloon Flyer,” a special continuous DART bus, will transport attendees to and from the Parker Road Station.
More information on the 2008 EDS Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival can be found online at www.planoballoonfest.org.
