Autumn Aloft | Park City Events
This past weekend in Park City was way, way cool.
After a 20+ year hiatus, Park City brought back its popular Autumn Aloft event. From their website: More than 30 years ago, Park City resident Gene Moser and a group of local hot air balloon pilots set out to create the classiest Hot Air Balloon festival in the world. Their idea was to create a balloon festival that reflected the free-spirited, anything-goes exuberance of Park City; Autumn Aloft was the brainchild of these passionate balloonists. Before long, Autumn Aloft had outgrown its original ideation as it garnered national and international media coverage and interest from balloon pilots across the world. If you are a long-time Park City resident, you probably remember the Autumn Aloft? It is sure to bring a smile to your face. If you are a newer resident, I’m sure you can imagine the delight…
When I spoke with Park City’s Chamber of Commerce about the event, I asked why it had stopped 20 years ago. Lack of popularity was what crossed my mind… until I learned that, at the last Autumn Aloft in 1993, 18,000 people showed up. 18,000 people. I can’t even visualize that. How… awesome. So, I totally understand that everything got a bit bigger than the hosts’ original intentions (think: parking, bathrooms, crowd control — especially since the event takes place in a neighborhood community).
With Autumn Aloft’s history fresh in my mind, I was really excited to be a part of its comeback last weekend. I was fired up by the audience’s palpable enthusiasm (at 6.30am, no less), the kids running around with helium balloons tied to their small wrists, the gorgeous weather & location — but, more than any of those factors, I was most impressed by the balloonists. One pilot told me that the event was like coming home for a high school reunion, and while I’m sure the balloonists run into each other regularly for flights all over the country, it’s still so neat to me to see so many of them congregated in my hometown, greeting each other warmly, reminiscing about the Aloft event decades ago, all with faces with a few more lines and heads with a little more grey hair; and, now, with their children and grandchildren helping prep the balloons. It made me feel a part of something.
In addition to the on-the-ground action, V & I headed up in one balloon for aerials… and it was absolutely incredible. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we didn’t take for granted. Another dreamlike event, brought to you by Park City, Utah!
