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Collinsville,
Oklahoma
July
31, 2008
Gatesway
Balloon Festival
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Media
Balloon Flights Thursday
Previewed
August 1-2-3 Event
Two Miles East Of Claremore At Cherokee Casino Will
Rogers Downs
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pages. If you would like to provide news content or advertisements ...
call Ted Wright (918) 371-1901 or
send email to wrightted@aol.com.
1110 W. Main, Collinsville, OK 74021 |
Home
(email questions/comments to wrightted@aol.com).
Ted Wright -- last update 8/1/2008 (GateswayBalloons.html)
www.cvilleok.com
Copyright 2008 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma
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Miss
Collinsville Teen, Jennifay Nichols, posed before her media flight Thursday.
She will sing the National Anthem to open the public event Friday August 1st
and entertain again later that evening for the Gatesway Foundation fundraiser.
I
was fortunate enough to be invited to fly on the center balloon (from Kansas
City) here for the Gatesway Festival. -- Ted Wright
The balloons
launched from the midfield area of the horse race track.
The
balloons drifted to the southwest from the race track in a very light wind Thursday
and searched for suitable landing areas among the rural houses and power lines.
Boyd
& Wyatt Bolin (from Collinsville) were on the ground crew for the balloon
that landed next to the balloon that I rode in (in the background). -- Ted
The
gondola and 60,000 cubic foot balloon are out of the travel van but still partially
in the carrying bag with crew member Curt Matlach and owner Amanda Sabia connecting
the fabric ropes to the gondola.
Inflating
the balloon on the ground (above & below) with a fan initially, then with
heated propane
Chris
Sabia was my pilot and controlled the elevation by flaring the burners just
above our heads in the wicker basket we both rode in for a short flight July
31st.
Boyd
Bolin holds the line to help bring down a landed balloon near some anxious horses.
After
landing the balloons are folded up and loaded in the travel vehicles for a future
trip,
This
was a familiar balloon to me as I had seen the same or similar balloon (from
the City of Plano, Texas) when I attended a balloon festival in Richardson,
Texas in about 1983 while living in Garland, Texas.
-- Ted
The
balloonist are also playing a game of hare and hound with the lead (hare) balloon
setting an X on the ground which the following balloons (hounds) will try to
hit with a marker.
Hi Ted,
We were so happy you came out to media night. The Balloon ride was amazing!
We hope you will get to come back out for Friday night show. Jennifay
will be emceeing the festival all weekend & Headliner Friday @ 7:30pm
playing a dual role for High School Musical Troy Herring will also be
performing with her as a dual role. Show is from 7:30-8:30. Balloon Glow
@ 8:30pm & Jennifay & Troy returning @ 9:30pm to perform their
own style of music. Jennifay has worked very hard to coordinate all the
entertainment & competitions for the weekend. She has located 20+
sponsors to donate a multitude of prizes for drawings & prizes. We
hope you and other Collinville residents will be able to come out and
enjoy the weekend. We have many Collinsville performers lined up for entertainment.
Larry Escalanta as a Gimme the Mike weekly winner that will be performing
for us Saturday night. Altar Call will be performing Sunday morning before
the LIL Mr. and Miss Balloon Fest Competition. Many more people from Collinsville
area. I am including some pictures we took during the Balloon ride.
Thanks, Joy & Jennifay (8/1/2008) |
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