This past weekend I had a chance to attend the Red River Balloon Rally for the first time  in Shreveport and I must say, I had a great time at the LSUS campus.

The weather was extremely hot but the rally was well worth it. I thought at first it may of got cancelled due to some thunderstorms nearby but thankfully the storms were moving away from the area. It did cause a little delay on the hot air balloons getting there because they had to make sure everything was okay for precautionary measures. After arriving and going through a security check I observed a festive crowd of all ages with their folding chairs and some with blankets awaiting the balloon glow and fireworks later that evening. There was lots of food and drink vendors on site, a few carnival type rides and of course, live music from local band Ole Whiskey Revival and the headliner Rodney Atkins.

Tethered balloon rides were also available, however the line was very long and I thought to myself, since I actually have ridden a hot air balloon several years ago, I was good.

M.Garcia Townsquare Media
M.Garcia Townsquare Media
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M.Garcia Townsquare Media
M.Garcia Townsquare Media
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M.Garcia Townsquare Media
M.Garcia Townsquare Media
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M.Garcia Townsquare Media
M.Garcia Townsquare Media
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M.Garcia Townsquare Media
M.Garcia Townsquare Media
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M.Garcia Townsquare Media
M.Garcia Townsquare Media
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The backdrop of the setting sun along with some awesome clouds made for some amazing pictures. It was fascinating watching them inflate the balloons which by the way didn't take as long as I thought it would. During the balloon glow it was interesting hearing some of the history about ballooning. The narrator had everyone countdown before each balloon glow which happened several times including different variations of effects.

Here's a video.

I highly encourage everyone to attend next year's balloon rally and if you have never ridden one put it on your bucket list. See more photos on their Facebook page.

 

 

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