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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.
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a yearly hot air balloon festival that takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during early October. The Balloon Fiesta is a nine-day event occurring in the first full week of October, and has over 500 hot air balloons each year, far from its beginnings of merely 13 balloons in 1972. The event is the largest balloon festival in the world, followed by the Grand Est Mondial Air in France, and the León International Balloon Festival in Mexico.
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Paul Edward Yost was the American inventor of the modern hot air balloon and is referred to as the "Father of the Modern Day Hot-Air Balloon." He worked for a high-altitude research division of General Mills in the early 1950s until he left to establish Raven Industries in 1956, along with several colleagues from General Mills.
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Point Mallard Park is a park located in Decatur, Alabama, United States that sits on 500 acres (2.0 km2) of the Flint Creek shoreline. Flint Creek is a tributary of the nearby Tennessee River. The park, portions of which are open year-round, borders the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and is operated by the City of Decatur Parks and Recreation Board. It is positioned in the city's far southeasternmost section. The park was named after a frequent avian visitor to the Wildlife Refuge.
Hot air ballooning is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying hot air balloons. Attractive aspects of ballooning include the exceptional quiet, the lack of a feeling of movement, and the bird's-eye view. Since the balloon moves with the direction of the winds, the passengers feel absolutely no wind, except for brief periods during the flight when the balloon climbs or descends into air currents of different direction or speed. Hot air ballooning has been recognized by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) as the safest air sport in aviation, and fatalities in hot air balloon accidents are rare, according to statistics from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
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The Saga International Balloon Fiesta is held at the beginning of November every year in Saga Prefecture, Japan. In 2014 it took place between October 30 and November 3.
The Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival is held annually, the first weekend of June at Lake Skinner Recreation Area in the Temecula Valley AVA of Southern California. The event features morning balloon launches, evening balloon glows, wine tasting from more than 20 wineries, wine competition, food and wine pairing, concerts featuring country on Friday, Classic Rock and Rock on Saturday, and Jazz on Sunday. There is also a giant arts and craft faire, kids faire, and fine art paintings on exhibit within the wine gardens. In 2020 and 2021 it was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off is a hot air balloon festival in Colorado Springs. Held each Labor Day weekend since 1977, it takes place near Prospect Lake in Memorial Park. It is the "largest and the longest continuously running hot air balloon festival in the Rocky Mountain region as well as the state of Colorado".
The Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic is an annual, five-day festival held at Ann Morrison Park in Boise, Idaho, USA, featuring hot air balloons. Prior to the balloon classic, an annual balloon event had occurred in Boise since 1974.
The Balloon Federation of America (BFA) is a 501c3 non-profit group for the advancement of lighter-than-air aviation which includes hot air and gas balloons. Founded in 1960, located in Indianola, Iowa. The BFA partners with the National Balloon Museum to induct outstanding individuals into the United States Ballooning Hall of Fame. The Federation presents multiple awards including the Ed Yost Master Pilot Award and the National Crew Person Award. The BFA facilitates balloon events by providing advice and guidance on FAA compliance.
The National Balloon Museum is a non-profit museum in Indianola, Iowa. It was founded in 1975 in short term locations, later gaining a permanent location in 1988. All of the museum's exhibits are about hot air ballooning and gas ballooning. The museum is in the shape of a hot air balloon's gondola. There are only two balloon museums within the United States, the other one being the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum.
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