At least 12 pilots came to the Mancos Valley Balloon and Arts Festival this weekend, and about half of them lifted off from Boyle Park on Saturday morning.
It was a clear and sunny day, perfect for balloon flying, with a slight chill in the air. The park was ringed by pinwheels made by the Mancos school art classes.
One pilot, Elaine Anderson, from Tucson, has been piloting in Mancos for nine years. Jeff Anderson, her husband, is the crew chief. Their balloon is the Dream Catcher, an Aerostar Aurora that has a dream catcher on its side. "We have a great time here," said Jeff. "The people are the nicest folks." They spend their spare time before and after the balloon festival backpacking and hiking around here. "As long as I'm ballooning, backpacking or boating, I'm happy," Jeff said.
Donna Telles, Wheatridge, Colo., has come to the balloon festival for five years. She has "Pondemonium," a balloon that resembles a pond, complete with animals and fish. "I love these small towns - the street fair, the potlucks. ...You get to know some of the people when you see them every year," she said.
The street fair, featuring area vendors and artists, was on Grand Avenue, from Main to Mesa Streets, blocked off from traffic so people could walk around and browse.
Bonnie Loving, from Cortez, had many of her horseshoe sculptures for sale. Most came from farmers, ranchers and farriers, she said. "The worst part is cleaning the shoes," she said. "When I get them they come all dirty and rusty." Once they've been cleaned, she welds them into different items. This was her first balloon festival.
Woody and Margaret Tsosie, from Chinle, Ariz., came to sell their jewelry. Much of it is handmade, with hand-carved silver and authentic Navajo pieces.
Other art vendors included chain saw carvings, beads, wood furniture, cigar-box banjos and fiber art. The stores along Grand Avenue were open for everyone to step into and look through. Peter Eppard, a local wood furniture maker, sold three of his pieces by 11 a.m.
The live music on the west end of Grand Avenue was provided by Sweetwater Station, a local group with Marilyn Kroeker and Chris Rasmussen on vocals, as well as a few impromptu musicians. Fahrenheit Coffee Roasters provided a place to go for kids who wanted to create art with a variety of media. And Rachel Karneffel and her donkeys were a hit at Main and Grand.
All the proceeds from the balloon festival will go to Operation Second Chance, said Deelynn Ford, ticket sales and volunteer coordinator. Operation Second Chance is a national organization that helps wounded service members during their recovery and even assists them as they transition to civilian life or back to duty. "This is the first balloon festival they've been offered," said Ford. All the veterans could get a balloon ride, if they wanted.
An OSC booth on Grand Avenue had veterans who helped explain what the organization was about. It also gave the veterans a place to hang out and talk to the people who came by. John Jarrett, a retired Air Force officer and a member of the OSC board of directors, emphasized that the vets they're helping were from all walks of life. "They are young and old, from Iraq or Korea, it doesn't matter." All of their money comes from donations, he said. The Saturday night dinner was catered by the Millwood Restaurant and the proceeds from that and the silent auction all went to OSC as well.
Casey Oldham is a veteran who came down from Red Lodge, Mont. He is the post commander for the VFW in Red Lodge and has recently become involved in Operation Second Chance. He is also a musician, and volunteered to play and sing with Sweetwater Station at the street fair.
"It's amazing how people here have opened their hearts and minds to us," he said. "It was cool to bridge the generation gap between vets." Oldham was in Desert Storm in the 101st Airborne as a combat medic. His eyes welled up with tears as he talked of his time in the service.
"We don't want to go over there (to fight)," he said, "but it's a small price to pay to live here." He agreed that being around the balloons and the pilots - and getting to ride in a balloon - was a very healing time for him.