Balloon Race grounded for 2020

The Galesburg Great Balloon Race isn’t happening this year, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

In a Facebook post from the committee, they say that the race, normally held during the last weekend of July, was being canceled in part because the governor’s five-phase reopening plan doesn’t guarantee that the event could be held.

The announcement says that events of this size take lots of time and hard work and cannot, in good faith, ask for financial commitments from sponsors, sign vendor contracts for services, order materials, solicit volunteers, and recruit balloonists to an event that may not happen.

Additionally, they say that they can not ask more of “first-line responders, police and EMS personnel, to take on the additional responsibility of ensuring the health and safety of the thousands of visitors from the region and beyond.”

Alternative plans are in the works and the hope is to have local pilot Greg Saul fly his balloon that same weekend, weather permitting, and plan to broadcast the flight on Facebook Live for everyone to see.

More details are being worked out but the committee is looking ahead to 2021.

Recommended Posts

Loading...