FEST TO WELCOME MORE THAN 50 HOT-AIR BALLOONS

More than 50 hot-air balloons will float over the area this weekend during Balloons & Arts Festival '95 at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

In addition to hot-air balloons, music and family entertainment are planned during the three-day event sponsored by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri.

Parking is free. Admission is $1. Children ages 6 and younger will be admitted free. Souvenir three-day pass buttons are available for $3 at Schnucks, JCPenney and the Arts Council office.

Look up into the sky Thursday evening and you may see hot-air balloons carrying local media personalities as a warm-up to the weekend's events. Another media flight is scheduled Friday morning at 6.

The festival begins at 5 p.m. Friday with arts, crafts and concessions. A corporate balloon flight will take place at 7 p.m. and will include balloons from Pontiac, Mr. Goodwrench, AC Delco, GMC Trucks, Wehrenberg Theatres, Missouri Lotto, Old Milwaukee beer, and two special shaped balloons, Mr. Peanut, and a Wehrenberg Theatres bag of popcorn.

Tethered balloon rides for $5 each and the balloon glow will operate from 7 to 9 p.m., or until the propane tanks are empty. During a balloon glow, pilots inflate their balloons but don't fly. The flame that inflates a balloon also makes it glow in the night sky.

A battle-of-the-bands hangar dance will be held from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and will feature area bands Papa Aborigine, Dillagence, The Begin, Van Gogh's Ear and Turner Up.

On Saturday, the competitive balloon races launch at 6 a.m. and at 6 p.m. Early morning and early evening provide the best wind conditions for hot-air ballooning.

Balloonists from across the United States, Canada and the Virgin Islands, including former national, state and regional champions and several world record holders will compete.

To watch the balloons set up and launch, plan to arrive 30 minutes to an hour before the launch times. Bad weather can prevent balloons from flying.

Many of the balloon pilots will require chase team volunteers from the community. A crew school for volunteers will be held Wednesday. The cost is $5 and a Balloons & Arts Festival T-shirt will be provided. Anyone interested in crew school should call the Arts Council.

The hours between Saturday's races will be filled with live entertainment, including the River City Ramblers Dixieland Band, VodVill Entertainment Company, Paul Mesner Puppets, and the Jamasaurus Country Bluegrass Band.

Parachute jumps will take place along with demonstrations of model airplanes and experimental aircraft. An Air Force F-16 Mini Jet replica will be on display.

An Air Force B-2 Stealth Bomber is scheduled for a fly-by and a navy FA-18 Hornet will perform a demonstration.

Activities include a bait casting contest, airplane and helicopter rides, arts and crafts and concessions. Children's arts and crafts are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hot-air balloon rides are available for $165 a person. These aren't tethered rides but balloon flights that last one hour to 90 minutes. The balloon will carry six to eight people for each ride. Anyone interested in a hot-air balloon ride must register in advance by contacting the Arts Council.

The final competitive balloon race will launch at 6 a.m. Sunday. The Cape Girardeau competition is recognized by the Balloon Federation of America and is being held less than a month before the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championships in Columbia. Balloonists are vying for points and a share of $10,000 in prize money.

The competitive races are part of the Balloon Tour America competition, founded by world record holder Jetta Schantz of Jacksonville Beach, Fla.

Schantz will serve as balloonmeister for the Cape Girardeau contest. She received the highest honor in ballooning for her 1994 record breaking altitude flight of 32,572 feet over China Lake, Calif.

For more information, contact the Arts Council at 334-9233.