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| Mayflower Van Lines’ balloon soars across Brown Street in Chadbourn Tuesday, above. At right, the balloon “Spellbound Spirit” takes off from a field near Cerro Gordo. Staff photo by |
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of Strawberry Fest
By LEE HINNANT
Cars stopped dead in their lanes; others pulled to the road shoulder Tuesday while residents from Whiteville west to Chadbourn and China Grove turned their eyes skyward at the colorful sight of three hot-air balloons gracefully floating by in the early morning and late afternoon.
The unusual sight promises to be more common as hot-air balloons become a greater part of the N.C. Strawberry Festival on May 6.
Now in its 74th season, the festival includes a parade, music, arts and crafts, car and motorcycle shows, train rides, a pageant and other activities in Chadbourn. The success of last year’s trial balloon with lighter-than-air flying has lifted attention to the Strawberry Festival.
Six private balloon crews offered rides in 2005. This year, organizers expect three corporate-sponsored balloons and 10 private crews.
“The community was so receptive to the balloonists,” said pilot Ian Leonard of Fayetteville. “It’s a beautiful place to fly and there’s a great enthusiasm for ballooning in the community.”
On Tuesday, Leonard and two other pilots flew with reporters, broadcasters and select sponsors of the festival. Other aircraft were Mayflower Van Lines’ signature balloon – the first corporate sponsor to commit to the festival – and “Spellbound Spirit,” a colorful craft under the control of Randy Lee of Four Oaks.
The trio first ascended from the front lawn of Southeastern Community College, attracting attention from drivers and homeowners more than a mile away. Their goal: to boost interest in the festival, just three weeks away.
Many elevators impart more apparent force than hot-air balloons. Commercial airplanes, jets and helicopters feel like bucking broncos compared to the magic carpet ride of a balloon.
Because they move with the wind, the air seems mostly still around the basket. When the pilot is not firing the burner, the flight is silent. At lower altitudes, passengers can hear squirrels rustling in the treetops and dogs alarmed by a large, shadowy visitor. Pilot Lee surprised a deer browsing at the brushy edge of a field, coming close enough to clearly see the white of its tail before it bounded south into a bay thicket.
Strawberry Festival organizers hosted a reception for the balloonists to display the new park off Third Avenue in Chadbourn.
“We’re just glad to come here and share ballooning with the people of Chadbourn,” Lee said. “The pilots who came here last year consider this a premiere event.”
The festival’s main day is Saturday, May 6. For information on balloon rides, call Andy Hammond at 654-3518.