Going… Going… GONE!

By Cindy Jones and Mike Sawyer

As summer vacation winds to a close, local Lions Clubs are working hard to make this one a summer to remember. On Friday, August 19th, 2011, thousands of people will descend on Highland Village Texas for an action packed three day event. It is the 24th Annual Lions Club Balloon Festival and Fair and it will be held August 19-21, 2011 on the shores of Lake Lewisville at Copperas Branch Park in Highland Village, Texas. Admission is FREE with a $5 per car donation for parking.

Come celebrate the last few weeks of summer, and spend a day with the family at a One-Stop Fun-Spot and get your fix of fun and action. You will find over 15 Hot Air Balloons including a Tethered Balloon Ride that will get you and your family in the basket and safely up into the air in a real hot air balloon! You can feel the heat from those 15-million-BTU burners as they gently lift you off the ground and then set you safely back down. There will be over 50 Classic Cars coming in Saturday morning from 10am to 2pm for the “Memory Lane Classic Car Show.” American Eagle Harley Davidson of Corinth, Texas will be bringing in a “Stationary” Motorcycle Ride along with a selection of Harleys to see and touch. You will find Carnival Rides, a sledge hammered car bash, over 20 Arts & Crafts exhibits as well as local businesses showing you what they do best. The young and young-at-heart can have fun on a variety of amusement rides, including Zero Gravity, Traffic Jam, Cobra, Pirate Ship, Rock Climbing and many others.

This year for the 1st time in Texas, the “Smokey Bear” Hot Air Balloon will be flying at the festival. The National Grassland in cooperation with the US Forest Service has sponsored the “Smokey Bear” Balloon to promote fire prevention in Texas. For nighttime entertainment, watch the Balloon Glow, an event which illuminates the whole park with brightly colored patterns from the hot air balloons with our Master of Ceremony Glen Moyer. You may know Glen from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Bring a chair, a blanket and a friend and enjoy the Balloons and Live Music on Friday and Saturday evening with bands including Empty Pockets and Zydeco Stingrays just to name two. Enjoy food from several different vendors with things like roasted turkey legs, barbeque beef and pulled pork sandwiches, pork ribs, hamburgers, beer & wine and many other delicious items! There will also be many refreshing cold items such as Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and McAlister's famous Iced Tea. Early birds can hit the festival at 7 AM and enjoy a pancake breakfast with Village Grill while watching over 15 majestic hot air balloons take off or fly in.

Click through the Lions Balloon Festival website at www.LionsBalloonFest.com for more information and to see several videos from past festivals as well as some that were made while flying over Lake Lewisville.

This is REAL Entertainment Texas Style for everyone in your family!