Balloons Over Vermilion Features More Than Balloons

 THE FOLLOWING STORY IS BY BILL PICKETT

ABOVE: Danville Area Visitors Bureau Interim Director Rhonda Ellis

Balloons Over Vermilion takes flight on Friday and Saturday at the Vermilion Regional Airport.  And leading up to the event, the Danville Area Visitors Bureau office has been busy.  Rhonda Ellis is the Interim Director in that office…

{Audio:  “We get phone calls, and we help with hotels, and the balloon pilots – we give them welcome bags so they know what to do.  And people coming in are calling.  And it’s exciting.  Not everybody sees hot air balloons like we do. I think we kind of take it for granted in this area.  Some people are coming from two hours away and have never seen one.  And they want to take a balloon ride.  So the closests they can get to a balloon ride is the tethered rides out there on the grounds which are pretty cool.”}

Again this year there are lots of fun activities taking place on the grounds of the airport in addition to the scheduled flights.  Ellis has this advice for people who may be heading to the event…

{“I would check the weather. It’s kind of a weather dependent event. Obviously there’s stuff on the ground to do…lots of music, food, events for kids – the Kids Zone. … They said to check Facebook – their website – I think they’re going to keep more up to date this year – www.Balloonsoververmilion.com.  Listen to the local radio station.”}

The gates at the Vermilion Regional Airport on Bowman Road open at 3:00 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.  Parking costs $5 per vehicle, and admission is $5 per person, with kids 10 and under admitted free.

            Ellis described some of the activities that will be taking place at this year’s event….

{AUDIO:  “Lots of free stuff, and a few things that may require a little bit of a fee.  I know the disc golf is going to have a representation out there – I think the soccer.  There’s a Discovery Science – that’s all free.  And then there’s going to be a few events like r.c. cars will be out there that they can observe, and a bounce houses and face painting – Touch a Truck –  and the bubble guy will be out there.  So lots of exciting things for the kids to do.”}

Ellis noted her office has been working on more than just Balloons Over Vermilion….

{AUDIO:  “We’re working on two events as we speak – balloons, and then we’ve got the American Legion State Golf Tournament.  This is the 11^th year its hosted in Danville. We’ve got a lot of teams and sponsorships coming in this week. … That event is August 2^nd and 3^rd here in Danville at both Turtle Run and Harrison Park Golf Courses.  If you want to be a hole sponsor we donate all the money back to local Veteran charities.”}

More information about BalloonsOverVermilion can be found at the event’s website:  www.Balloonsoververmilion.com