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| National Balloon Classic | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Hot air balloon festival |
| Dates | First week of August |
| Location(s) | Memorial Balloon Field 15335 Jewell Street Indianola, Iowa 50125 |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Website | nationalballoonclassic.com |
The National Balloon Classic is an annual hot air balloon festival held at the Memorial Balloon Field in Indianola, Iowa. The classic is a nine-day event with nearly 100 hot air balloons. [1]
In 1970, the fifth United States National Hot Air Balloon Championship held the primaries in Indianola and due to the success of the competition it hosted the championships for the following 18 years. In 1989, when the competition moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana the National Balloon Classic was started and has continued every year except 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused officials to scrap the event. [2] The 32nd was deferred to 2021.
The Classic is held at Memorial Balloon Field.
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket, which carries passengers and a source of heat, in most cases an open flame caused by burning liquid propane. The heated air inside the envelope makes it buoyant, since it has a lower density than the colder air outside the envelope. As with all aircraft, hot air balloons cannot fly beyond the atmosphere. The envelope does not have to be sealed at the bottom, since the air inside the envelope is at about the same pressure as the surrounding air. In modern sport balloons the envelope is generally made from nylon fabric, and the inlet of the balloon is made from a fire-resistant material such as Nomex. Modern balloons have been made in many shapes, such as rocket ships and the shapes of various commercial products, though the traditional shape is used for most non-commercial and many commercial applications.
Indianola is a city in Warren County, Iowa, United States, located 14 miles (23 km) south of downtown Des Moines. The population was 15,833 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. Indianola is home to the National Balloon Classic, a nine-day hot air balloon festival held annually in the summer, the Des Moines Metro Opera, a world renowned major American Summer Opera Festival, and Simpson College.
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