Strathaven Balloon Festival gets ready for take-off

Jul 13 2011 by Lynda Nicol, East Kilbride News

THE year-long hard work of the volunteer members of Strathaven Balloon Festival committee is reaching the final stages of preparation for this year’s event – unique in Scotland – which will take place next month.

Running from Friday evening, August 26, to Sunday, August 28, at the John Hastie Park, this year’s festival is, once again, a truly international event with a Belgian crew returning to Strathaven to join the other seven balloon crews already confirmed as attending.

This year’s festival will feature more balloons than in 2010 and the finishing touches are being put to the Saturday and Sunday Family Fun Day attractions.

And, of course, the spectacular Saturday Evening Glow will be a sight not to be missed.

Everyone has fingers crossed for a dry weekend, with the lightest of winds, to enable balloons to be launched on the Friday evening, and at 6am and 6pm on the Saturday and Sunday.

Given calm conditions, there will be demonstrations of tethered hot air balloons in the festival arena, during the fun day afternoons.

Look out for this year’s Strathaven Balloon Festival programme, which will be available soon in many local shops.

The Strathaven Balloon Festival raffle is already under way, with the top prize of a flight in a hot air balloon.

For the latest Festival news, visit www.strathavenballoonfestival.co.uk or join the Balloon Festival on Facebook.