Annual Hot Air Balloon Rally To Return To Pittsfield

Press release from the Suncook Valley Rotary Club:

Aug. 1, 2022

Lordy, Lordy, Look Who’s Forty! After two very long years, the Suncook Valley Rotary Club, in partnership with Over the Moon Farmstead, has brought our Annual Hot Air Balloon Rally back to Pittsfield! This year will be the 40th* celebration of the much-loved event!

12 pilots and their crew will be once again bringing these beautiful balloons to the Suncook Valley on the weekend of August 5-7, 2022! If Mother Nature cooperates, we will have up to five ascensions, or launches, over the course of the weekend.

The three-day event highlights hot air balloons taking flight once on Friday, twice on Saturday and once on Sunday; with night glows on Friday and Saturday once the sun goes down. A fireworks show worthy of our 40th year will light up the sky on Saturday night following the nightglow.

This year ‘The Cake’, an 80’ tall, 807-pound birthday cake shaped specialty balloon, helicopter rides, and over 50 vendors will be the talk of the town. The weekend is full of activities in between balloon launches – Silly Solutions Balloon Design and Wildlife Encounters will be on the field Friday afternoon. On Saturday, there is a Touch A Truck/Meet a Mascot event, Craft Fair, Basketball, Tennis and Corn hole Tournaments, a Tie Dye Party, the Anything That Floats River Raft Regatta, a Birthday Cupcake Eating Contest and a Dog Demonstration.

In addition to the events on the field, Over the Moon Farmstead will have music and live entertainment and activities all weekend at the new Meadery in town, with a free shuttle to Drake Field available Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

Be sure to visit the carnival rides, food vendors and crafters as well as the Rotary’s “world famous” Pancake and Egg Breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The weekend activities will wrap up with the Frank H. Donovan 5k Road Race and a Cow Chip Bingo contest on Sunday Morning.

Admission is free as this event is run 100% by Rotarians, partners and our wonderful volunteers. This annual event is the Rotary Club’s largest fundraiser and allows us to sponsor projects and scholarships in the

Parking is available for $10 per car at three locations across town (MSA/Globe, Over the Moon Farmstead, and Atlantic Safety) with free shuttles. These parking lots are staffed by local non-profits that are using this as a fundraiser.

A full schedule and additional information can be found at www.suncookvalleyrotary.org. For the up-to-date schedule of events, activities and launch status, follow Suncook Valley Rotary Hot Air Balloon Rally @suncookvalleyrotaryballoonrally and Over the Moon Farmstead @overthemoonfarmstead on Facebook and Instagram.

This press release was produced by the Suncook Valley Rotary Club. The views expressed here are the author's own.