Balloon fest launch called off Friday; weekend events still planned

POUGHQUAG - Tom Smith's favorite part of ballooning?

The unpredictability.

"We have no idea if we're going to fly until we're ready to fly," said Smith, a Town of Poughkeepsie resident. "When you fly, you don't know where you're going to land. You don't know who you're going to meet when you get there. It's creative and it's romantic."

On Friday night, spectators and would-be ballooners got a taste of that unpredictability at the Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival, when Friday night launches were canceled because of bad weather.

Balloons were scheduled to launch at Barton Orchards at 6 p.m., but then were delayed and canceled. A scheduled launch from Migliorelli Farm in Red Hook was canceled at about 6 p.m. Fireworks were still set to be on as scheduled Friday.

Other events, scheduled throughout the weekend, were still scheduled as of Friday night.

“Right now, everything is on,” Rich Kleban, senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, said of Saturday’s mass launch at 6 a.m. at Barton Orchards. Kleban noted that watching the morning launches on Saturday and Sunday are free with no admission charge and no charge for parking. Gates open at 5 a.m.

The Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce said it will have an update on social media, on its website at www.dcrcoc.org, and also via the group's balloon festival hotline, at 845-454-1701, at 4:30 a.m. Saturday with information on whether the other scheduled launches will be on time or not.

“We’re hopeful we’ll be able to get all the launches in,” Kleban said. “We’re weather-dependent and we want to be safe, and we want to make sure the pilots are safe.”

Kleban said the chamber reached out to customers who purchased balloon rides, but were unable to soar on Friday.

“We’re working with anyone who purchased a balloon ride to accommodate them at other times during the weekend,” Kleban said. “Everybody who put down a deposit, if we’re unable to accommodate them, we will refund their deposit.”

Thousands of advance tickets were sold, Kleban said. This was the first year attendees needed to purchase tickets to several sessions of the event.

Smith, a former IBM employee, said he helped start the local balloon festival 25 years ago and has been ballooning for nearly 50 years.

"My whole life was controlled by a clock and a calendar" at work, Smith said. Ballooning was different — "very random."

Eddi Jordan of Merrick, Nassau County, made the trip to the balloon festival for his wife's birthday and wasn't bothered by the launch being canceled.

"That's OK," said Jordan, who was ballooning for the first time. He has jumped out of planes in the past. "It's my wife's 46th birthday, so I figured I'd surprise her. She's not so keen on the idea, but nonetheless, we are here."

Meagan McConnell of Middletown, wearing leggings with a balloon print, said she was attending the event for the first time. She has never ridden in a hot-air balloon.

"I've actually never been here before," said McConnell, prior to the launch being canceled. "My friend Cara wanted to ride in the balloon, so I got dragged along. We're excited about it."

Nina Schutzman: nschutzman@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-451-4518, Twitter: @pojonschutzman

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If you go

What: The Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival

When/Where:

Saturday

6 a.m. — Barton Orchards. 63 Apple Tree Lane, Poughquag, New York 12570. Gates open at 5 a.m.

Noon — Barton Orchards. 63 Apple Tree Lane, Poughquag, New York 12570. Balloon launches at 6 p.m.

4 p.m. — Migliorelli Farm. 245 Guski Road, Red Hook, New York 12571

Sunday

6 a.m. — Barton Orchards. 63 Apple Tree Lane, Poughquag, New York 12570. Gates open at 5 a.m.

Noon — Barton Orchards. 63 Apple Tree Lane, Poughquag, New York 12570. Balloon launches at 6 p.m.

Admission: Balloon launches at Migliorelli Farm are free. General 6 a.m. balloon launches at Barton Orchards are free. Admission to festival at Barton Orchards Saturday $12 at gate. Sunday admission is $5 at the gate. Children 3 and under are free.

Parking: Parking at Migliorelli Farm available onsite. Parking for morning launches at Barton Orchards available onsite. Off-site parking will be available at the Beekman Fire District field on Greenhaven Road in Poughquag beginning noon Saturday. Shuttle service will be provided. All parking is free. 

Information: Visit dcrcoc.org/balloonfestival or call 845-454-1701