4 Special Shape Balloons At Lift-Off
Look ... Up In The Sky .. .
A Peanut, A Ladybug, A Clown and A Little Bee !
The Board of Directors of Kinsmen Cornwall Lift-Off are excited to announce that the 2010 Festival will include 25 hot air balloons, four of which will be special shapes – Mr. Peanut, Annie the Lady Bug, Joey Little Bee and Clown-n-Around. Special shape balloons are often the stars of the show at any balloon festival. Many balloons retain the more traditional shape and feature wonderful colours and logos, whereas others are far more extravagant.
Mr. Peanut is widely recognized with his unique grin and monocled eye, one on each side – so he can smile at everyone both coming and going. Mr. Peanut stands 138 feet tall, which is 13 ½ stories! A traditional hot air balloon is normally 57 feet, less than half Mr. Peanut’s height. In fact, his hat alone is 29 feet. Because of his size he is much heavier that the normal balloon. He weighs in at 525 lbs compared to a traditional balloon at 205 lbs. Add to that the basket, burners and fuel and he is definitely a heavyweight at 1,060 lbs.
Annie the Ladybug will be making her first appearance ever in Cornwall. Annie stands 75' tall, weighs 425 pounds and requires 8 crew to handle her for each flight. When fully inflated, Annie's large smile shows how happy she is to see everyone who has come out to see her. Annie has also flown in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Mike and Ellen, Annie’s owners, made their first appearance at Kinsmen Cornwall Lift Off in 2008 with their regular shaped balloon Carried Away, and quickly found this event to be their favorite of all the events they attended. Lift Off is on the top of their list for events each and every year.
Joey Little Bee also makes his first appearance at Lift Off this year. Joey buzzes in at 110 feet tall right up to the top of his attenae, and is 110 feet wide from finger tip to finger tip. He will certainly draw a lot of attention with that kind of wingspan!
Clown-n-Around, is another recognizable balloon that will certainly bring fun to the skies over Cornwall with his traditional big red clown nose, huge smile and the daisy in his hat. The Clown is always a favourite with spectators. Pilot, Todd Monahan has an infectious enthusiasm for the sport of ballooning which took shape as a youngster, chasing down balloons on his bike during the early years of the Adirondack Balloon Festival. A few years after graduating from SUNY Oswego, he decided to pursue his ballooning dreams and began SunKiss Ballooning. Todd's twin brother Scott is his partner! He is responsible for critical tasks during inflation, leading the chase crew, monitoring surface winds, and checking out landing sites ahead of the balloon.
Festival Chair Chris Savard explains that “the special shape balloons will certainly add even more excitement to the festival this year. Along with our great line-up of entertainment, the special shape balloons will make Kinsmen Cornwall Lift-Off 2010 the best yet!”
Whether you plan to experience life above the Seaway Valley in a hot air balloon or feel more comfortable tapping your toes to the entertainment package, Lift-Off has something to suit every taste! If you are interested in purchasing a flight, call (613) 938-4748 or 1-800-937-4748. Mary Marleau, Director of Hot Air Balloons stated, “all of our returning pilots are excited to fly above Cornwall and the Seaway Valley. Kinsmen Cornwall Lift-Off is definitely their favorite festival of the year. We are definitely looking for wall to wall sunshine to maximize the number of flights.”
Cornwall Lift-Off was founded in 1994 and has since hosted back-to-back Canadian National Hot Air Balloon Championships in 1996 and 1997. The success of the festival has grown considerably from modest beginnings in 1994. This year, an exciting assortment of live entertainment and fireworks will compliment the arrival of the 25 hot air balloon teams. This year’s festival will be held July 8th to 11th in Cornwall’s scenic Lamoureux Park.
The full 2010 schedule details can be found at Lift-Off.ca
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