A tradition that has rallied hot air balloon enthusiasts for more than a half-century to White County will take to the skies today.
The 52nd Annual Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race will have dozens of seasoned expert balloon pilots making the traditional flight from the downtown Helen area, eastward between 7:00 a.m. today through sunset of Friday evening, June 6th, with weather permitting. Balloon pilots and their "chase teams" hope to make the round-trip race in the quickest overall time by navigating their balloons just across Interstate 95 within any location between Maine and Florida, before making the return trip to Helen the next day.
A post on the helenballon.com website indicates that while the competition to the Atlantic continues, other balloonist compete in local events beginning this evening at around 6:00 pm. Local flying events will take place also on Friday and Saturday where the balloons will fly around 7:30 am and 6:00 pm each day as the weather conditions allow. Officials note that the balloons will only fly for around 1 to 2 hours, as no balloons will be flying during the middle of the day.
Officials with the race also note that there are many opportunities for to the public to assist with the inflation of the balloons, or be a part of a chase crew and follow the balloon. Approximately 20 balloons will be flying throughout the Helen area.
More details can be found about the Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race can be found online at https://helenballoon.com, or on the race's official Facebook page.
