“We have full permission to land on the valley floor,” exults longtime festival organizer Marilyn Branch. “The fence is down on the west side” to facilitate landing, “which is fabulous,” she says.
“We’re very excited about that.”
Saturday night brings the Telluride Balloon GLO – “the most photographed event in Telluride,” Branch says confidently. “The marshal’s department says we get 2,000 people out on main street when it happens.”
This year’s balloonists include Balloonmeister Peter Procopio, with Koshare Gallup; Safety Officer Jeff Johnson, with Kemo Sabe; and Elaine Anderson (Dream Catcher), Grant Crawford (Junior), Bud Hebrlee (Aerloon), Bryan Hill (Basket Case), Randy Myklebust (Sky Candy), Mary McKinley (Drifting Colors), Nick Meleski (Skyleidoscope), Tom Robinson (Nizhoni Gallup), Adele Woodruff (Aire-N Go Bragh), Dan Helmbodt (Tweetie Bird) and Rick Simon (Simon Says).
Anyone interested in participating can call Branch at 728-4679 – “or just show up in Town Park around 6 a.m.” Saturday and Sunday mornings.
“Pilots need help with their balloons,” she explains, “and they often offer a ride over Telluride when you help them out.
“All events are weather-permitting,” she says, going on to emphasize that despite the current weekend forecast for scattered showers, “I never worry about it until the day it happens.”
The Saturday night Balloon GLO will require a main street closure, from 6-10 p.m., for which “all cars must be removed,” Branch says.
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