Hot Air Balloon festival grows in popularity

It hasn’t even happened yet, but the Hot Air Balloon Festival scheduled for September has already been selected as a must-see event by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The society provides a Top 20 list each month of major events in the 11-state service area in the Southeast. The list is released to print and broadcast news media and receives extensive exposure in the U.S. and Canada.

“Our balloon festival has been growing in popularity every year, and we’re thrilled to see it named a Top 20 event for September,” said Pat Myers, director of Alumni Relations and Foundation Events. “More than 15,000 people attended last year’s festival.”

This year’s balloon festival will be September 22-23 at the Pellissippi Campus. Besides entertainment provided by WIVK radio, the festival will feature a car show, bluegrass music festival and a larger children’s activity area this year.

“And don’t forget the Balloon Glow on Friday night, the 22nd,” said Myers.

”It’s beautiful when dozens of balloons are lined up around the pond at sunset with the burners lighting them from the inside.”

The school and the community both benefit from the money raised at the balloon festival and other Foundation events. Since 2002, the Pellissippi State Foundation has raised more than $3 million to provide scholarships and loans to deserving students, to improve facilities, and to secure new equipment and human resources to support Pellissippi State.

Because the fundraiser was chosen to be on the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 events list, information about the Hot Air Balloon Festival will be sent to more than 400 newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, auto clubs, and other tourism organizations.

For more information about the Hot Air Balloon Festival, contact the Foundation at 694-6528.