Balloon Festival huge success
Receives state grant $10,000
The 29th Annual Arkansas State Hot Air Balloon Championship Races held at the Anstaff Soccer Fields was a huge success.
“What a party!” Mary Jerry Jackson said after Saturday night. Explore Harrison Executive Director Matt Bell added, “It was an incredible and, at times, overwhelming crowd!”
A new record was set Saturday night, with more than 500 tethered rides enjoyed. Bell said, “All of the money earned pays for the propane and the lodging for our pilots. We had reports of food vendors running out of food at their booths.”
Bell admitted the weather wasn’t great for flying balloons for the whole weekend but was thrilled with the turnout for the event.
Nineteen pilots attended, and the Ansaff Soccer Fields were lit up beautifully with balloons Saturday night for the balloon glow. Tethered balloon rides, food trucks, music, and activities for children made the evening a success.
This year, Explore Harrison had the advantage of receiving a grant from the Promotional Partnership Program of Arkansas Parks & Tourism, which helps advertise special events.
“We had never applied for this grant before, and we’ve hosted this event for 29 years,” Bell said. “It’s usually a one-time grant for a sustainable event. So I decided to apply so we could ‘up our game’ and advertise in other markets.”
He was excited to be awarded $10,000 to spend for producing for 10, 15 and 30-second commercials they could post on social media and streaming services. The ads ran in the Jonesboro, Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas areas. In Missouri, the ads ran in the Springfield and Joplin metro areas. Bell said he can use them again for many years by making slight changes in the dates.
“We’ve got a great relationship with the Arkansas Tourism Commission, and we are looking forward to hosting the meeting of the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Commission at Creekside,” Bell said.
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