JESSICA CHAPPE

The Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival

The 31st annual edition of this festival brought wonder and color to the skies above Dutchess County over Labor Day weekend

Featured in Times Union (Hudson Valley). September 8, 2022.

For one weekend every September, the skies above Dutchess County fill with hot air balloons for the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival. The festival has ballooned from a local tradition to something much larger, drawing hundreds of balloonists and thousands of visitors from across the world to partake in a full weekend of activities, including balloon flights, helicopter rides, live music and entertainment, food trucks and family activities.

This year’s 31st annual Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival took place over Labor Day weekend at Tymor Park in the town of Union Vale and featured 100 hot air balloon launches. Photographer Jessica Chappe was there to take it all in.

Kids stand in front of a high-speed fan during the Balloon Walk experience at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival. Airborne Adventures filled their balloon with cold air from a high-speed fan (used for initial inflation) to allow revelers to explore the inside of the multicolored balloon. This experience is known as a Balloon Walk.

Aerial shot taken from the Re/Max hot air balloon of the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival in Tymor Park on Sept. 3, 2022.

“Ballooning is a very romantic sport, because just like a new romance, you never know where you’re going,” said Kimberly Field, pilot of Lady Stockbridge. “Morning flights can be fun, especially landing in busy neighborhoods. Little kids come out in jammies, and parents with cups of coffee. They get really excited.”

A Re/Max crew member assists in keeping the crown line taut during inflation at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Carroll Teitsworth is a former Navy pilot who has flown balloons since 1978. Here he pulls the trigger to the burner which shoots out a flame, helping the hot air balloon rise.

Revelers stand in line for the tethered balloon at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022.

At 6:30 a.m., a young reveler assists in holding the mouth of the hot air balloon. Cold air is released to help inflate the balloon.

Pilot Glo Kehoe has been flying for 40 years and comes out from Albuquerque, New Mexico to be a part of this festival. “There were very few women when I started out. I remember going to a balloon event. I was by the balloon and this woman came up to me and said, ‘who’s the pilot’ and I said, ‘I am’ and she said, ‘no, I want to know who flies it when it’s in the air.’ She could not believe a female was the pilot for the balloon. So things have changed dramatically.”

“I’ve built a reputation for flying special shaped balloons. I flew the energizer bunny for 16 years. It’s 67 feet tall, its feet are about 60 feet long and its ears are 60 feet tall. It’s a huge balloon. It flies a little differently than round balloons because it’s so tall.”

“You can’t steer a balloon — we are at the mercy of mother nature,” said Mike Kibling, crew chief of the Sunrise hot air balloon. “The wind shears vary at different levels. You might be fine at 300 feet above the ground but when you get up to a thousand it takes you in a whole different direction.”

“Not always what you see is what you’re going to get 45 minutes later. You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.”

A crew member takes the lead during the Crew Olympics rolling up the dropline. During descent, once the wind has slowed down, the pilot throws the dropline to a crew member to help pull the basket in.

Country artist Jordan Stoner performs at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival in Tymor Park on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022.

Ax throwing at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival.

A family plays a game of giant chess at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival.

A mother and daughter dance to the YMCA while IHeart Radio DJ’s for revelers at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Kids blow bubbles at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival in Tymor Park on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022.

A father throws his son in the air during the Balloon Walk experience at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival in Tymor Park on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022.

“I started back in ’92-ish,” said Rich Hamelton, pilot for Adventure with Altitude. “It was my wife’s birthday. I got her a ride as a surprise present for her birthday ... We started going to balloon festivals, one or two a year and it was great. We watched for the first couple of years, then we got to talking to the pilots and started helping them because all balloon pilots need help.”

“It became a family thing for us. I got my commercial pilot license in 2011 and my grandkids are here learning all the ropes and stuff. It started as a passion and now it’s a business for us.”

Kimberly Field, pilot of Lady Stockbridge, communicates with the other pilots for the Candlestick show to sync up their flame release with the music.

The Candlestick show in full effect at the Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival.

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