Hot air balloons light up for the Balloon Glow at last year’s RE/MAX Skylight Balloon Fest. This year’s Balloon Fest takes place Oct. 21-23 in Selma.
Marvin Pfeiffer, San Antonio Express-News / Staff Photographer
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Jeff B. Flinn, Staff writer
SELMA — The fifth annual RE/MAX Skylight Balloon Fest takes to the skies over Selma and the surrounding area this weekend and provides an assortment of entertainment activities over the three-day run.
Maggie Titterington, president of The Chamber of Schertz, Selma and Cibolo, said 15 hot air balloons are lined up to participate in a number of activities at the River City Community Church grounds, 16765 Lookout Road in Selma, adjacent to the Retama Park Race Track. The three-day event takes place Oct. 21-23.
Featured events are the nightly balloon glows, when the tethered balloons kick on their burners. The glow will be coordinated to music, she said.
Saturday and Sunday mornings begin with the balloon launch, when all the balloons ascend into the calm, early-morning sky.
The scene — colorful 60-to-80-foot tall balloons meandering across the horizon, propelled by the balloon propane burners on a light or wispy breeze — brings activity to a standstill, at the River City church grounds and along Interstate 35, as cars pull off the highway to get a better view.
Titterington said all activity gets under way Friday from 5-9 p.m. with concert headliners The Spazmatics taking the stage at 7 p.m., following opening ceremonies and the arrival of RE/MAX skydivers. The night’s balloon glow is slated for 8:30 p.m.
Emcee for the weekend is Glen Moyer, the official emcee for the world-renowned Albuquerque Balloon Festival. The balloonmeister once again is Steve Lombardi, who has been with the RE/MAX Skylight Balloon Festival since its inception.
The balloon fest “is kind of like a family,” Titterington said. “The pilots are the very same ones who started with me in 2017 and keep coming back every year. It’ll be great to see them.”
The festival unveils a new character balloon, Zorro the raccoon. “We’re trying to bring our character balloons back,” she added.
Saturday’s hours are 7-9 a.m. and 2-10 p.m. to see the balloons and experience the festival. There is no admission fee to see the 7-9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday balloon launches. Tickets for Friday evening and all-day Saturday are $10 for adults, $5 for children 3-11.
“The balloons are really cool, but there’s so much more going on,” she said. “It’s a great family fun-filled event. You can basically go to this event, have fun, see concerts, for $50 for a family of four. I don’t think you can do that anywhere.”
The balloon fest features more than 100 vendors, 24 food trucks, a Family Fun Zone hosted by the city of Selma, tethered balloon rides, four live bands, a jumbo petting zoo, and free hay rides. A special new attraction is Jelly Ball, similar to paint ball but without the sting of pellets. For a small fee, players compete on teams, proceed through an obstacle course “and you get to shoot at each other,” she added. Titterington reminds attendees that there are no ATM machines available on-site.
Methodist Hospital Northeast is the balloon fest VIP sponsor. River City Community Church is a co-sponsor with The Chamber while RE/MAX is again the naming sponsor. “The city of Selma is a valued sponsor. We couldn’t do this without them, at all,” Titterington added.
Last year, the fest drew more than 15,000 people and Titterington hopes weather holds out for a repeat of last year’s gorgeous weather and great turnout.
Go to The Chamber’s event website, skylightballoonfest.com for more information.
jflinn@express-news.net