Floating hundreds of feet above the ground, a dozen brightly colored hot-air balloons soon will fill the sky over Menlo, Ga.
The third annual Northwest Georgia Balloon Festival is almost under way as organizers finish the last bit of planning before the event begins May 14.
"Things have been going really smoothly," festival organizer Gail Wilbanks said. "We've just about got it down to where we know what we're doing now."
The 12 large balloons, with trained pilots from New York, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama and Georgia, are set to take flight five times over the course of the three-day festival, she said. Flights last 30 minutes to an hour and are dependent on weather conditions.
"When you take a balloon ride, you don't know where you're going to go and where you're going to land," Ms. Wilbanks said. "You can't control a balloon."
Festival attendees can take flight in a tethered balloon, which gives a taste of what a hot-air balloon ride is like without the fear of floating away, she said.
The festival includes carnival rides, live country music, a rock climbing wall, a mechanical bull and craft and food vendors. About 10,000 people are expected to attend, she said.
The festival is a fundraiser for several area organizations including the Menlo Volunteer Fire Department, the Chattooga County Tourism Board, the Best Glove Silver Club Scholarship Fund and the Menlo Recreation Department.
IF YOU GOWhat: Northwest Georgia Balloon FestivalWhen: 4-10 p.m. May 14; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. May 15-16Where: Tillotson Field, Highway 48, Menlo, Ga.Price: Festival is free, but parking is $10 per car
Menlo resident and balloon pilot John Cavin originally came up with the idea for the festival and once again will man his Purple People Eater balloon, which has become a mainstay at the festival.
"It's hard to believe I've been entertaining people all over the country with my big purple monster," he said in a news release. "The large eyes, dangling arms and big teeth never frighten the children in attendance. They love it."
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