National Balloon Classic Proves to Be a Great Family Outing in the Midwest

If you are planning a trip within the Midwest in the future, a great annual summer event in the town of Indianola, Iowa is the National Balloon Classic. Held annually in mid-summer, the classic is a week long family event with plenty of shelf life, you'll want to revisit it year after year. Included in the fun for everyone is a great close up photo opportunity of the huge hot air balloons that make this event such a treat. Dawn and dusk balloon flights, pilot competitions, music, kids games, beer and food are all the make up of this family event.

If you are an early bird or think you could try it for at least one morning a great time to check out the National Balloon Classic is around 6:30 a.m. In the morning hours the weather is normally ideal for flights. Early times are when the pilots compete in different tasks and challenges from the events held in the evenings. The spotlight is more on showmanship and single competitions like pole grabs, which is where the pilots move their balloons closely to a pole to try and grab a ribbon or band. Issues of safety and excellence in piloting are monitored by the Meister and his or her assistants.

The Meister as you may guess is the person in charge of the ballooning events at the Classic. The meister is nominated by a group of fellow balloon pilots called the Pilot Relations Committee. The Meister is in charge of deciding when or not the balloons will be able to hit the air by checking for weather dangers. Being a good representative of ballooning, he or she is a seasoned safe pilot and plans tasks for the balloon pilot competitions.

In the evening around 6:30 and later are night flights and night glows. In the night flights the first pilot to leave the ground with their balloon is announced and then it's more a question of who's next as one by one the balloons fill with hot air and take off into the night sky. The wind direction decides the type of eye appeal the night and morning flights will have. Sometimes the balloons will fly right over the heads of the audience.

Whether you are staying the entire week or just one day, you'll not want to miss the fiery spectacle of a "night glow ". During the night glow the pilots of the up to one hundred foot tall balloons fire up their burners in unison to heighten the bright effects in the darkness. At the National Balloon Classic the crowd is asked to shout "One, two, three, glow!" and the balloon pilots oblige by firing up their burners.

Kids love the special shaped hot air balloons. These entertaining balloons have been shaped like anything from a giant tree complete with branches and birds to a huge monkey, a penguin or a purple monster! It is especially exciting to watch as the characters "come to life" as they fill with hot air.

If you've missed the National Balloon Classic or you're looking for more hot air balloon fun check out the National Balloon Museum. Located in Indianola the museum is home to vast collections of ballooning paraphernalia including pins, hats, books and time lines. There are also displays of Women Balloonists and of the 'Channel Champ" so named for it's flight as the first hot air balloon to cross the English Channel.

Indianola, Iowa is about 20 miles south of Des Moines. The countryside around the city is scenic and comforting. It's hard to believe you are just outside the capital and largest city in Iowa. As you enter Indianola it becomes apparent rather quickly how the city is truly involved in the National Balloon Classic. Along the route through town are special orange detour signs that read "Balloon Traffic" with arrows so you know right where to pilot your vehicle to make it to the event without getting lost. Many business signs and marquee's state message's like "Welcome balloons!" And "Parking here for Balloons". You'd better make your reservations early for the National Balloon Classic though as "no vacancy" signs are seen as well! (No worries though, nearby Des Moines has plenty of lodging and is filled with tourist opportunities to take advantage of after you attend the Classic. )