BALLOON FEST WILL OFFER SPECTACLE THIS WEEKEND

All eyes will turn toward the skies over Cape Girardeau this weekend when hot air balloonists from 14 states converge on the city for Balloon Fest '93.

A first for Cape Girardeau, Balloon Fest promises to provide a unique spectacle. Thirty-five colorful balloons based at the Show Me Center will fly high over the city, their pilots competing for $10,000 in prize money in tests of their navigational and maneu~verability skills.

For $5, one can take a tethered balloon ride after 8:30 tonight at West Park Mall. People at the mall tonight also will have an opportunity to watch a "balloon glow," the burner of a balloon being fired against a setting sun.

The balloon competition kicks off Saturday morning. Balloonists will take to the air from the parking lot of the Show Me Center at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. They'll be trying to collect points in hopes of qualifying for this year's national championships to be held in Middletown, Ohio. It will attract 100 balloonists.

Let's hope the weather cooperates. The flights are scheduled early and late in the day because that is when the wind likely is to be the quietest. They won't fly if the wind is blowing over 8 knots or if an approaching storm is within 50 miles.

Anyone who has ever seen a group of hot air balloons lazily floating through the air with a rising or setting sun emphasizing their brilliant colors can attest to the beauty of the spectacle. Those who have never seen the sight owe it to themselves to do so.

The balloons were to have been headquartered at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport, but fears that flooding might hamper activities forced the move to the Show Me Center. But the parking lot of the Show Me Center, where all of the activity will be centered, will offer a good vantage point, as will many other places around the city that offer unobstructed views of the skies.

Businesses that are sponsoring Balloon Fest '93 hope to make it an annual event. No doubt, with cooperative weather and good attendance, the sponsors will look forward to bringing balloons back to the city many more times.