Callaway Gardens' Media Kit: End Summer on a High Note at...

Callaway Gardens' 2001 Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Below please find the text for the following releases:

Things are Up, Up and Away at Callaway Gardens
Balloon Festival Schedule of Events
Be a Part of the Callaway Garden’s Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival
Fact Sheet: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about How Air Balloons

Incredible images (digital, slides or video) are available upon request! Please contact Rachel Crumbley at 706-663-5187 or publicrelations@callawaygardens.com with any questions. Or, please let us know if you would like to attend the Balloon Festival for a 2002 travel story.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

1) THINGS ARE UP, UP AND AWAY AT CALLAWAY GARDENS!

PINE MOUNTAIN, GA (8/6/01) - Hot air balloons are in the air -- part of the exciting third annual Sky High Balloon Festival on Labor Day weekend.

The Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival will be August 31, September 1-2, 2001, when the sky is the only limit for family fun.

Festivities Friday, August 31, will kick off the festival as the half-price admission gates open at 5:00 p.m. EDT. While eagerly awaiting the balloon glow at sunset, guests can enjoy a buffet of barbecue from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. for $9.75 per person including tax and the evening’s entertainment, Leon Jacobs, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. As night falls to the tunes of the Antebellum Brass from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., the inflating balloons will illuminate their individual colors evoking images of floating stained glass windows dancing across the waters of Robin Lake.

Saturday morning gates open at 6:00 a.m. with half-price admission until 9:00 a.m. For those early-risers on Saturday and Sunday mornings, the Columbus Exchange Club will offer a pancake breakfast for $4 per person plus beverage under the Pavilion at Robin Lake Beach. Hot air balloon flights are scheduled on Saturday and Sunday at 7:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (weather and wind conditions permitting). The balloons will launch and fly whatever direction the wind takes them, usually traveling five to seven miles away before landing.

In addition to the breathtaking balloons, there will be many activities to complete the day. Tethered balloon rides; classic car show (Saturday only); sidewalk chalk art; children’s games; rock climbing wall; moon walk; sand castle building; face painting; tie-dying T-shirts; helicopter rides; ballooning demonstrations; Green Beret Parachute Jump Team demonstrations from Ft. Bragg, NC; traditional Robin Lake Beach activities; and more will keep you busy.

Live entertainment Saturday and Sunday will add to the festivities including performances and demonstrations by the Carrie McQueen Comedy Variety Show; Gary Jordan, magician extraordinaire; Cimmaron Dance Club; Ft. Benning Infantry Center Stage Band; and entertainer Leon Jacobs.

Admission is $12 plus tax per adult, $6 plus tax per child (6-12) and children five and under are admitted free. Admission will be half-price Friday, August 31, after 5:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, September 1 and 2 from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Some activities are dependent upon favorable weather and wind conditions.

Make a weekend of it and stay overnight on the Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival package starting at $155 plus tax per room, per night in the Callaway Gardens Inn. Breakfast and dinner buffets in the Plantation Room are included (some restrictions apply).

Make plans now to spend Labor Day weekend at Callaway Gardens’ Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival. For more information, contact Callaway Gardens at 706-663-2281, 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292) or visit www.callawaygardens.com.

Callaway Gardens is in Pine Mountain, GA, 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta and 30 minutes north of Columbus.
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2) BALLOON FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, August 31
5:00 p.m.
Special Events Gate opens, half-price admission

6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Barbecue Buffet - $9.75 inclusive

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Leon Jacobs performance

8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Antebellum Brass performance

8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Balloon Glow (weather and wind conditions permitting)

Saturday, September 1
6:00 a.m.
Special Events Gate opens - half-price admission until 9:00 a.m.
Exchange Club Pancake Breakfast - $4/person + beverage

7:15 a.m.
Balloon Launch (weather and wind conditions permitting)

9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Activities throughout the day at Robin Lake Beach include:
Swimming
Miniature golf
Chickadee Choo Choo rides
Classic car show
Sidewalk chalk art
Rock climbing wall - $5/person
Moon walk
Leon Jacobs - musical performances throughout the day
Sand castle construction
Face painting - $2/person
Tie-dye T-shirts - $10/adult; $5.00/child
Gary Jordan - roving magician
Carrie McQueen - roving entertainer
Helicopter rides - $ 20/person

11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Kinder Vision - free video & fingerprints of your children

1:00 p.m.
Cimmaron Dance Club exhibition

1:30 p.m.
Fort Benning Jazz Band performance

2:30 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.
Green Beret Parachute Jump Team

4:30 p.m.
Tethered balloon rides - $10/adult; $5/child (weather and wind
conditions permitting)

5:30 p.m.
Balloon Launch (weather and wind conditions permitting)

Sunday, September 2
6:00 a.m.
Special Events Gate opens - half-price admission until 9:00 a.m.
Exchange Club Pancake Breakfast - $4/person + beverage

7:15 a.m.
Balloon Launch (weather and wind conditions permitting)

7:50 a.m.
Hughston Sports Medicine Center 5K Run

8:00 a.m.
Hughston Sports Medicine Center Fitness Series - Triathlon (1K Swim,
8K Run, 30K Bike)

9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Activities throughout the day at Robin Lake Beach include:
Swimming
Miniature golf
Chickadee Choo Choo rides
Sidewalk chalk art
Rock climbing wall - $5/person
Moon walk
Leon Jacobs musical performances throughout the day
Sand castle construction
Face painting - $2/person
Tie-dye T-shirt - $10 adult; $5.00/child
Gary Jordan - roving magician
Carrie McQueen - roving entertainer
Helicopter rides - $20/person

1:00 p.m.
Cimmaron Dance Club exhibition

2:30 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.
Green Beret Parachute Jump Team

4:30 p.m.
Tethered balloon rides - $10/adult; $5/child (weather and wind
conditions permitting)

5:30 p.m.
Balloon Launch (weather and wind conditions permitting)
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3) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CALLAWAY GARDENS’ SKY HIGH HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL

PINE MOUNTAIN, GA (8/6/01) - Balloons fly whatever direction the wind blows and usually travel five to seven miles before landing.

How do the balloons and pilots get back to Callaway Gardens?
Chase crews made up of volunteers have radio contact with each balloon pilot. Each balloon and its passengers will be retrieved and escorted back to Callaway Gardens by its dedicated chase crew team.

How can I be a chase crew member?
Approximately 150 volunteer chase crew members are needed. Crew members must be at least 18 years of age, have a valid driver’s license and be able to volunteer throughout the weekend. Each balloon needs a three or four member chase crew. More than 40 balloons are expected to participate.

If you are interested in participating as a chase crew member or if you have questions about the event, please call Michael Willey, Callaway Gardens’ recreation services manager, at 706-663-5043.
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4) Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hot Air Balloons…But Didn’t Have a Reason to Ask

Why have a hot air balloon festival?
The massive size of a hot air balloon appeals to the child in all of us. Interest in hot air balloons crosses all genders, socio-economic levels, ethnic groups and generations. Hot air balloon pilots live in every country around the world. The Callaway Gardens Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival gives guests an opportunity to witness such a beautiful and rare spectacle.

How are hot air balloons inflated?
The hot air balloon is inflated by forcing cold air (provided by a portable gas-driven fan) into the “envelope” or interior of the balloon. Then, as propane burners heat the air inside to a temperature greater than the outside, the balloon lifts off of the ground.

How big are hot air balloons?
Hot air balloons vary in size from 31,000 cubic feet of air capacity (enough to carry one person) to 500,000 cubic feet (large enough to carry 32 people). They range in height from five stories to 16 stories and can weigh from 500 to more than 1,000 pounds. The average hot air balloon measures approximately 90,000 cubic feet. Some specialty balloons can be as high as 140 feet tall by 100 feet wide.

Why do balloons only launch in the early morning and late afternoon?
Those are the best times of the day for calm wind conditions. Therefore, balloon launches occur one hour after sunrise and two hours before sunset. Traditionally, morning launches are more successful because of calmer winds. Often, afternoon winds are too brisk.

Who decides if weather conditions are right for flying?
A balloon meister, who is an experienced balloon pilot, is responsible for monitoring weather conditions an hour prior to each flight. If weather conditions are not favorable, the balloon meister will cancel that launch and hope for improved weather by the next scheduled launch time.

How far do they fly?
Hot air balloons typically fly five to seven miles from liftoff. However, in 1999, the first hot air balloon flight around the world was successfully completed.

How do they know which way to go?
Hot air ballooning is truly an event in which the phrase “wherever the wind takes you” applies. You simply go with the direction of the wind. The pilot can ascend or descend to find more suitable wind currents to maneuver the balloon. Horizontal speed is determined by the air currents at the various altitudes.

Are the balloons racing or competing?
A game does take place during the first flight; otherwise, the pilots are not racing against time or each other. The balloon meister lifts off first and finds a landing location of his choice. There, the balloon meister spreads a large tarp emblazoned with a target. Each pilot has a designated beanbag. The goal is to drop the beanbag on the target. The pilot closest to the target’s center wins a monetary prize. The participants in the Callaway Gardens Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival are competing for $875 in prize money.

How do the balloon pilots know where to land?
They simply look for a wide, open, flat area free of trees and power lines. Pilots know where “not” to land if they see a large, white sheet painted with a red “x”. This indicates that the landowner does not want his property to be trespassed. However, most citizens are excited to have a hot air balloon land in their yard!

But how do they land?
As the air inside of a balloon cools, the balloon descends. The pilot releases the hot air by using a pull-cord that opens a vent on the top or side of the balloon envelope. By the same token, the vent can be closed and the air reheated to ascend once more.

At the end of a flight, balloonists typically toast the Montgolfier brothers by popping a bottle of champagne and reciting “The Hot Air Balloonist Blessing”:

The Hot Air Balloonist Blessing
May the winds welcome you with softness
May the sun bless you with his warm hands
May you fly so high and so well, that God joins with you in laughter
And set you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth

How do pilots get their balloons back to their launch site?
Chase crews of four to six volunteers maintain radio contact with their designated pilot. Once a balloon lands, the chase crew drives the pilot’s vehicle to the landing site and assists in loading the balloon, including the massive task of properly folding the balloon.

Are hot air balloon pilots licensed?
Yes. An individual operating a hot air balloon is required to have a private pilot certificate with a balloon rating from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Are all balloons the same shape?
No. We are excited this year to have several special shaped balloons, including The Flying Purple People Eater from New York, a return-appearance by The Lady Jester from Baton Rouge and Garfield The Cat from Chicago.

How long does it take to inflate a hot air balloon?
It takes an average of 20 to 30 minutes to inflate a hot air balloon.

What can I expect to do at a balloon festival?
At the Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival, you can arrive for the morning or afternoon launches and watch 40 hot air balloonists as they prepare and launch their balloons over the beautiful landscape of Pine Mountain, Ga. There will be plenty of activities between launches to entertain you all day.

What do I need to bring to a hot air balloon festival?
You just need yourself, your friends and family, and something to sit on, such as a lounge chair or blanket. Sunglasses might come in handy, too.

What happens during a balloon glow?
As the sun sets, the balloon meister instructs the pilots to turn on their burners creating a beautiful display of color in the night’s sky. It has been said that hot air balloons glowing in the night resemble “stained glass windows” or “jewels”.

How did hot air ballooning get started?
Brothers Joseph and Jaques Etienne Montgolfier invented hot air ballooning in France in 1783. The first manned hot air balloon flight took place on November 21, 1783, by the Pilartere de Rozier and Marquis d’Arlandes. The first transatlantic flight was made in 1978 by an American ballooning team.
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