The skies above Urbana will fill with color on Oct 4-5 as the 2nd Annual Balloon Fest “A Hot Air Affair” opens at Grimes Field, 1636 N. Main St. Hours are Friday, 4-9 p.m. and Saturday 2-9 p.m. Ticket prices are $2 for adults, $1 for youth and free to children 6 years and younger. Bring the family and enjoy music, a wide variety of food , contests, children’s activities and a dedicated beer garden for the adults.
Balloons will launch at 6 o’clock both evenings. Following the launch on Friday night there will be a pizza eating contest sponsored by Domino’s pizza and on Saturday night a wings eating contest sponsored by Fricker’s restaurant. Come hungry and see if you can take home the prizes!
Children’s activities include a Bouncy House and face painting. In addition, on Saturday, the Triad High School Science Club will sponsor a mini hot air balloon demonstration. The Champaign Aviation Museum will be open Friday from 4-9 p.m. and the Grimes Flying Lab will be open both days. The Flying Lab was built in 1952 and was used to test exterior aircraft lighting manufactured by Grimes Manufacturing. A must see!
Balloon glow will begin at 7:30 p.m. — an awesome display of light and color! Bring your lawn chair and enjoy an evening of fun at historic Grimes Field in Urbana.
Balloon launch and balloon glow are controlled by weather conditions and are subject to change or cancellation.
