July 26, 2007

Arts-and-crafters invited to set up at Pellissippi State balloon festival       

Local artists will have a golden opportunity to bring in some green come September.

Pellissippi State Technical Community College is inviting arts and crafts exhibitors to participate in the Fourth Annual Pellissippi State Hot Air Balloon Festival.

The event is scheduled Friday, Sept. 28, 4-9 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 29, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road.

Vendors will have the opportunity to show off and make their unique creations available to the 15,000-plus people expected to attend .

“This extraordinary event draws folks from Tennessee and beyond,” said Pat Myers, the event coordinator and director of Alumni Relations and Foundation events. “Kids from 1 to 100 will delight in watching the brightly colored balloons take flight. And where else can you shop for beautiful trinkets, eat tasty morsels and listen to down-home music as the children happily play in the KidZone?”

Myers says arts and crafts for the festival can be either traditional or contemporary, but all work must be original rather than commercially manufactured.

The fee for a single booth is $90, and a double booth is $175. Electricity is available for an additional $10. Arts and crafts exhibitor applications are being accepted through Sept. 1.

The Southeast Tourism Society ranked the Pellissippi State Hot Air Balloon Festival as one of the top 20 events in the South in 2006.

In addition to arts and crafts, festival visitors will enjoy a balloon liftoff Saturday morning and evening (weather permitting), food provided by area vendors, and a variety of music—Irish, folk, ’40s, bluegrass and country.

Musical performers include Scott Miller and the Commonwealth on Thursday evening and Carmen Rasmusen, who is sponsored by WIVK, on Friday evening.

On Saturday, Four Leaf Peat, the Tennessee Sheiks, Christobel and the Jons, and Pine Mountain Railroad will entertain the crowd. The Warriors of Anikituhwa will present a traditional Cherokee ceremony in the evening.

            To request more information or an exhibitor application, contact the Pellissippi State Foundation at (865) 694-6528 or visit the Web page at www.pstcc.edu/balloon. Applications can also be downloaded from the Web site by clicking on “Vendors.”

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