HELEN - The festivities surrounding the 42nd-annual Helen to the Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race and Festival got underway early Thursday morning at Wilkins Field in Helen, with several hundred spectators gathered to watch.
The South's oldest balloon event and the only long-distance hot air balloon in the U.S. begins each year with a mass ascension at 7 a.m. Thursday. The race begins in Helen and the finish line is I-95 anywhere between Maine and Miami. The shortest distance is 225 miles and the race usually takes two days, but has ranged from one to four days. The winner is the first person to cross I-95 or the closest to I-95 at sunset Friday, June 5.
The first balloon aloft Thursday morning was piloted by a man who is no stranger to the sport.
Don Edwards, retired event director for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and a pilot since 1986, says he loves coming to Helen for the race and festival.
"This is one of my favorite events," Edwards says. "I came here from Albuquerque. I love coming to Helen, Ga., and I didn't come here to watch. I came here to fly. I thought we had a perfect morning and I felt very confindent, so that's the reason I took off."
The Albuquerque event hosts some 550 balloons, while the Helen festival features about 30. That's not a problem for Edwards.
"I prefer coming to smaller events like this," Edwards says. "There's a lot of cameraderie. Here you've got some beautiful scenery - it's green, it's lush, when you get in the air you get to see the town of Helen, and it's just absolutely beautiful."
Event Director Catherine Cleiman, whose family was recognized by the Ballooning Federation of America in 2003 for its contributions to the sport of ballooning in the U.S., has long been a part of the annual event, which is hosted at The Helendorf River Inn.
"Right now the lower level winds from Helen are blowing the wrong direction back toward the national forest," Cleiman says. "Most pilots would really prefer not to have to carry a chainsaw with them in their basket to be able to get their equipment out of the woods."
Cleiman says racers like to wait to declare until after a successful first leg. Rules state competitors must go aloft with no more than 40 gallons of propane, and they have to stay aloft for at least 90 minutes before landing to refuel.
Balloonists want to race can lift anytime after checking with the balloon meister to ensure conditions are safe and have until sunset Friday to compete.
One of the most unusual balloons in Helen for the festival this year comes in the form of a 120- to 130-foot-tall Eagle that stands majestically over the field. Built in the 1990s, the balloon has had several owners but really hasn't been seen on the East Coast in its lifetime. Just the fabric of the balloon weighs 650 pounds.
"If you had a balloon built like that today, it would be around $200,000," owner Daryl Tatum of Balloons Over Georgia says. "Even back in the early '90s, I'm sure it was pretty expensive. It's just a fun balloon - and everybody loves it. I just wanted to get it out here where everybody else could see it."
Not everyone who attends this weekend's balloon event in Helen will get to see the eagle, especially if rain is approaching. That's because it takes longer to pack up the massive bird-shaped balloon.
"I'll probably put it up at least one more time," Tatum says. "I'd like to get it up one evening when we have a bigger crowd here in the evenings."
David Bristol, a pilot and avid local balloonist who is an integral part of the race and festival, is weather coordinator for balloonists this year,
Bristol says while Thursday morning's weather was beautiful, it wasn't exactly what was needed for the race.
"We don't have the best weather going to the coast this morning," Bristol says. "The winds are really calm compared to what the forecasts were, especially after the storms that rolled through yesterday. It's a beautiful morning. We got all the balloons out this morning, and we've got a really good crowd that came out this morning, too. I'm surprised at how many people got up at 6 o'clock in the morning to be out here when the balloons launched."
Christina Ernst, owner of VIP Southern Tours, has strong ties to Helen. Her father, Bernie Nagy, moved to Georgia from Austria. Her parents were in Helen and a meeting with an artist changed their lives.
"They both came up here and were lucky enough to run into John Kollock as he was talking about the buildings and everything, and my father had a vision to bring in gifts and collectibles from Europe," Ernst said. "He opened up the first gift store here in Helen back in the late '60s. His vision grew and had a wonderful gift store and mail order catalog for over 30-plus years. Helen has always held a special place in his heart, and also in my heart growing up - every weekend, after school, I spent so much time in their gift store, meeting people, working with people, meeting people from all over the world. I believe that shaped me to who I am today, and why the hospitality industry is part of my background and my business structure."
Ernst says the Helen to the Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race and Festival is one of the largest annual citywide events, bringing families from all over to Georgia's Alpine Village.
"I do feel like something that's important is this balloon event - it's safe, it's family fun, it's visually stimulating, and it's something that can be shared on social media," Ernst said. "So many of the wonderful events that we have here in Helen and across north Georgia are very important to help stimulate our economy for years to come."
Ernst said longtime events, including the balloon race and festival and others like it, can be catalysts to keep people coming back to the area throughout the year - especially those making day trips.
"I think it's very important that everyone does find a way to work together and realize that social media is a big part of our community and it's here to stay," Ernst said. "Tourism is also a large part of our community. More and more there's an outreach for western Europe and other international destinations that are coming to our area."
A tourism professional for many years who operates bus tours in the region, Ernst says the growth of Georgia's film industry, coupled with people sharing images and information on social media, is only going to continue to boost visits to Helen, White County and the across the region.
"Now that Georgia is the third-largest film-producing area, we're going to start seeing more movies and films coming to our area, checking our area out," Ernst said. "Our job as a community is to make sure that we welcome them, that we all work together as a team to create more jobs, to create a more healthy environment for families and for people that come to visit us - and for people that live here."
Balloon race and festival events continue through Saturday night.
Local flying events continue around 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily through Saturday, weather permitting. Balloons will only fly for one to two hours, with no balloon activities during the middle of the day.
Those attending one of the local flying events can assist with inflations, be part of a chase crew and may have other opportunities.
Most tethered balloon rides, which go 50-75 feet in the air last approximately 10 minutes, cost $10 per person (cash). The main time those rides will be available is beginning about 6 p.m. Saturday, Bristol says.
For more information about the event or to schedule a non-tethered balloon flight ($300 per person for about a one-hour trip), call Race Headquarters at (706) 878-2271.
The website is HelenBalloon.com and the Facebook page is Helen to the Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race. Cleiman asks those who attend the event to post their pictures on the Facebook page.
