It’s an annual event like no other. Ever since moving to St. Louis over 26 years ago, I’ve known of the Great Forest Park Balloon Race and the Balloon Glow that precedes it. Now celebrating its 51st year, it just gets better and better.
I attended the glow and the race a time or two early during my tenure as a St. Louisan, but it’s been many years since my last visit. Each fall I tell myself to go, then I think about the crowd, the parking, and the general effort involved, and I all too easily talk myself out of it.
This year of course, that wasn’t an option, since my move to Iowa is nearing and my St. Louis farewell tour is underway. So I arrived very early for the balloon glow Friday evening and got a front row seat. I killed time eating my gas station pizza bread and chips, strolled over to the concession stand for a soda, shot the shit with folks sitting next to me, and sprung for an event poster created by a local artist. This year’s poster is quite beautiful, by the way.
Even with the crowd and the parking, it was worth it. The balloon glow is a truly magical experience. As dusk settles across the park, the pilots fire up their balloons periodically. Then, a blaring siren sounds and they coordinate their flames so all balloons glow at once. Eventually, the event staff lowers the rope and the announcer gives everyone permission to enter the field to view the balloons up close.
I joined the horde of people and swarmed the field as soon as they lowered the rope. With the glowing balloons towering over us, I felt like an ant walking through that canyon of balloons. It nearly gave me goosebumps. If you ever have the opportunity to attend, you should.
Saturday’s balloon race also proved to be well worth the effort. My friends and I settled into our lawn chairs only a few minutes before the balloon launch was to begin. Light drizzle prevented an on-schedule launch, but it wasn’t delayed too long. Eventually, the field of balloons inflated and began taking off one by one. I’ve attended several hot air balloon events over my life, and it’s always thrilling. Some of the balloons even returned to land near our seats. While I’ve seen balloons inflate and take off many times, I’ve never seen one land and deflate, so that was an added treat.
I’ll miss this annual event when I move to Iowa. Luckily, it’s a weekend event that is only a short four-hour drive away. 😊
