Hot Air Balloons Glow at BBQ Ribfest ’99, Fort Wayne

Hot Air Balloons Glow at BBQ Ribfest ’99, Fort Wayne

         Updated 14 June 2000. URL is http://our.tentativetimes.net/ribfest/balloons.html
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What is a Balloon Glow?


Photo by William Weinhardt, Kodak Gold Max film, using a Nikon-F



We all wondered what this event would be. Omnipoint sponsored a magnificent display of those daredevils in their flying machines, hot air balloons. The surprise was that the balloons didn’t launch. They stayed clustered on the ground, though it took many strong bodies to keep them from getting away in the winds.

Excitement built as we waited and wondered. Finally it was dark enough to start to fill the balloons, With loudspeakers, the crowd learned that these balloons would light up from the inside as fire was blasted into each balloon.

At first, each balloon lit up briefly. Then a pattern emerged, as every other balloon would light briefly, then go dark as the other half lit up. At times they all tried to light at the same time, but as the fire blast is brief, that didn’t always work. The wind was playing havoc with the show.

I’d guess there were at least 8 balloons in the field north of the RibFest ’99 tent. If any of our film shots turn out well, I’ll add them to the digital pictures on this page.


Digital Mavica 71 photos are all by Sandra Weinhardt



Photo by William Weinhardt, Kodak Gold Max film, using a Nikon-F




Omnipoint gave away bright yellow goodies, as cheerful as the glowing balloons.

Tell-Mama Music Index
The cover of Our Tentative Times, the parent of these five magazines.

Contact Information

Contact president Cindy Chappuis for information:

Third Annual BBQ RibFest 2000
P.O. Box 11054
Fort Wayne Indiana 46855-1054
phone/fax (219) 744-1090
Email [email protected]


All photos by Sandra Weinhardt unless otherwise attributed. Write for permission to use.

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