Balloons fill the sky for the National Balloon Classic in Indianola. (Photo: Catch Des Moines)
The same day the Olympics start in Paris, a French tradition is coming here. The National Balloon Classic, July 26 through Aug. 3 in and above Indianola, continues a legacy that brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier launched in 1783 at Versailles with the first human-piloted balloon. (On an earlier flight, the co-pilots were a sheep, a rooster and a duck.)
Here in Warren County, the nine-day festival that started in 1970 draws balloon pilots and enthusiasts from around the world, who annually send 100-some balloons into the sky during morning competitions and late-afternoon exhibitions. Fans gather at the balloon field in the evenings for live music, fireworks and the Nite Glow, when dozens of tethered balloons light up like giant lanterns.
Meantime, this year’s Sky Parade is set for 5-8 tonight around the town square. If the weather holds, balloons will fill the skies while locals and visitors alike will fill the shops and restaurants down below.
