The festival would be a highlight of Buffalo Days, Sept. 15-17. "We would hold it all three days," says Chris Dallin, CEO of the Davis Chamber of Commerce. He and several other chamber officials are psyched about the possibility for such an event, after visiting what has become the "granddaddy" of balloon festivals, Albuquerque, N.M. in late April. "We were there for the 300th celebration of the founding of Albuquerque. They had a balloon launch in conjunction with that" he said. adding, "The trip was fabulous."
"We learned a lot about what to do and what not to do. We also learned a lot about balloons in general. We're very, very excited to be able to see it," Dallin said. "We were able to make a lot of good contacts."
The event Dallin and several others witnessed saw 120 balloons launched. However, that's dwarfed by their annual giant festival featuring 720 balloons.
"It was absolutely amazing," he said. "We were able to be there on the grass, volunteered as a ground crew for a balloon, found a group that needed help, helped them pump up, put in the hot air," he explained.
Lucy and Clyde Hinderliter of Layton were able to get a birds-eye view of the event by riding in a balloon. Lucy Hinderliter is chairing the festival committee.
"We had a good meeting with them (Albuquerque officials) and went through the structure of what they do. We had a wonderful opportunity to ask a lot of questions and go out onto the field on (that) Saturday," she said.
Dallin noted that Albuquerque's first festival, 35 years ago, featured only a dozen balloons. Plans for the Buffalo Days event are also somewhat modest, anticipating 20-25 balloons for the first year.
"We have a lot of ground where we could park people," he said. "Our only concern is getting people on and off the Causeway."
As far as launching space, Dallin also said there should be more than adequate ground. In Albuquerque, the equivalent of about a field-and-a-half was used to launch 720 balloons. The balloon launches would take place in the morning, when it is cooler and easier to launch.
While they would serve as a focal point and draw, there would also be entertainment, food, and other activities tied to the festival.
Buffalo Days was conceived several years ago as a way to highlight buffalos, for which the county has become known across the state.
The cities of Syracuse, Layton and Clearfield have traditionally participated.
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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