Hot air balloon race starts next week

HELEN - The 33rd annual Helen-to-the Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race is scheduled to lift off next week.

From the center of the world to the edge of the Earth... its organizers like to say.

The race to the Atlantic Ocean begins, weather permitting, with a mass ascension at seven a.m. Thursday June first.

Billed as the only long distance hot air balloon race in the world, the finish line is I-95 near the Atlantic coast, anywhere between Maine and Miami - or the balloon closet to the highway by 8:40 Friday night.

The shortest distance is 225 miles and the race usually takes two days. It has been done in one day, while some races have taken as many as four days. Six to eight balloons enter the cross country race. Prevailing winds of the area usually take the balloons southeast of Helen across South Carolina, however, contestants have finished in North Carolina and Savannah, Georgia.

While the competition to the Atlantic continues, other balloonists compete in local events beginning Thursday, continuing Friday and Saturday with approximate flight times of 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Many experiences are available to the public; assisting with inflations, being part of a chase crew or taking tethered rides.

The Helendorf River Inn & Conference Center is host and headquarters as it has been since 1974.

Ballonmeister Tarp Head crewed for the first race in 1974. As time passed he became a contestant, winning in 1980. That year his interest in ballooning became his vocation. He formed Head Balloons, Inc. one of only five balloon manufacturers in the United States.

Common Sense Conservation, founded by Earl Miller, has co-sponsored the race for many years. In 1995, Earl achieved his goal of finishing first after many years placing 2nd and 3rd in the Helen to the Atlantic Race.