LEWISTON — The theme for this year’s Great Falls Balloon Festival will focus on the festival’s 25th anniversary. Festival treasurer Mell Hamlyn said Monday that organizers will officially announce the theme and update the festival’s website this week. On Monday, the website still showed information for the “Star Wars”-themed 2016 festival. In recent years, organizers […]
great falls balloon festival
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston OKs balloon fest spending without questions
Lewiston Finance Director Heather Hunter at Tuesday night’s city council meeting at City Hall in Lewiston. LEWISTON — The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to spend just over $17,500 on police patrols and other support for the Great Falls Balloon Festival — the largest city expenditure for a nonprofit event — without hearing publicly from […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston still reviewing balloon festival finances
LEWISTON — City officials are still examining the finances of the Great Falls Balloon Festival after someone connected to the 25-year-old event raised concerns about its management. It will likely be another week or two before findings are presented to city councilors, who will then decide whether to continue to using taxpayer money to help […]
Posted inLetters
Story left a sour taste
The headline of a Sun Journal story, “Balloon fest finances probed” (March 15), and its accompanying article have brought the Sun Journal to a place that I can’t imagine. The actual facts of what the Balloon Festival does for the community was totally overlooked in lieu of looking for dirt. Next time, just go to […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web, Uncategorized
Lewiston reviews balloon fest finances after questions raised
LEWISTON — City officials are examining the finances of the Great Falls Balloon Festival after someone connected with the 25-year-old event raised concerns about its management. Those concerns come just weeks after three of five festival board members abruptly quit. Two of those board members said this week they left because they were worried about […]
Posted inSun Spots
Help return a year of photos to reader who lost camera at Balloon Festival
DEAR SUN SPOTS: I dropped my camera at the Great Falls Balloon Festival last night, Sunday, Aug. 21. I was hoping an honest person would find it and return it. It has over 800 pictures of this past year’s travel on it. Please call (207) 713-9933. Thank you. — David, Sabattus. ANSWER: Okay, readers, it’s […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Great Falls Balloon Festival: Winds scuttle last launch
Festival Media Director Dawn Hartill said the festival’s board of directors is ecstatic about the success of this year’s Great Falls Balloon Festival. Harold Brooks, head of logistics for the festival, said “the success of the 24th Annual festival is largely contributed to the positivity of this year’s spectators.” The theme of “The Force Takes Flight” […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Great Falls Balloon Festival: Splash in the Androscoggin River, then dash
LEWISTON — Balloon pilots took advantage of the lack of wind and clear skies to launch Sunday morning from the Great Falls Balloon Festival. Many then dipped into the Androscoggin River and rose again — also known as a splash-n-dash. The balloon pilots and crews will return at 6 p.m. Sunday to Simard-Payne Memorial Park […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
You could use the Force or a bunch of kids to put down Darth Vader
That’s why the Darth Vader crew recruited the help of several children during balloon inflation after Sunday morning’s launch of the Great Falls Balloon Festival. The Darth Vader, Yoda, Wonder Bread and Windswept balloons inflated but stayed on the ground at Simard-Payne Memorial Park. The rest of the balloons launched and leisurely floated away. There […]