No, snow did not come early to Rock Springs, Wyoming, but Christmas did. In July, thirty-three balloonists gathered at the eighth annual Desert Balloon Extravaganza. Decorations of the season abounded as brightly colored tree ornaments took to the skies three mornings in a row.
Santa stood in the motel yard greeting those diving in the area. One can only imagine what passer-by on the Interstate thought as they rolled by in the 90 degree heat. Santa himself kept his cool even when the sprinkler system soaked him each might.
Pilots representing Wyoming, Colorado, California, Texas, Utah, Nevada and Idaho all had a good time participating in the events which included a scavenger hunt.
One of the hunt items was pancake batter. Easy enough to find, no? One ingenious crew took the challenge literally. They procured a pancake from the Lions Club breakfast, took a baseball device and swung it at the procured pancake… i.e., a pancake batter. Hey, it was 90 degrees… and no naps.
Another event was the annual Ticket Extravaganza. Pilots and crews received tickets for doing good things. Like flying a day early for the press, making up and singing songs in the spirit of the “season,” tethering and for anything else the Extravaganza officials felt like doling out awards. The tickets were placed in a large can and in turn pulled out and prizes awarded, excuse me, Christmas gift presented.
The hospitality by everyone concerned was wonderful. The food tables for the barbecue, ice cream social and tailgate parties left very few participants hungry.
Everyone is looking forward to the ninth annual Desert Balloon Extravaganza and wondering what next year’s theme will be?