A special treat is the 8:30 a.m. appearance of Rawley Mathis, the 9-year-old “Little Britches All Around Rodeo Champion,” who will present a dummy-roping demonstration that the kids are sure to love. The demonstration, said Edwards, “is interactive, as Rawley then helps the kids practice and learn to swing a rope.”A member of the Antelope Valley Youth Rodeo Association, Rawley has a goat, a steer and a calf dummy for the children to practice on; such child-to-child demonstrations really get the kids excited and involved, and Rawley is noted for not only his technical skills but also for explaining roping in a patient and encouraging fashion. “Before you know it,” said Edwards, “the whole crowd is roping each other!”Weather permitting, tethered fantasy balloons - including a witch, goldfish, lemon, strawberry and panda - will offer children under 5 years old a chance to go up, up and away, at least as far as the tether will allow.Balloon pilots are expected to return to the airport at about 11 a.m., when prizes - including the first-ever 2008 Citrus Classic Champion Trophy and a Landowner’s Prize to a lucky resident - will be awarded during the noon closing ceremony.Admission is only $5 for adults, $3 for children 5 to 14 and free for kids under 5, a bargain for an event of unforgettable fun. “We want to make sure that everyone can enjoy the Citrus Classic, it’s so unique and impressive, a real community event” that Edwards said she hopes eventually might just add another nickname to the city - the Hot Air Balloon Capital of the World.For more information visit the website: www.citrusclassicballoons.com
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Hot air balloons will be in abundance this coming weekend during the Citrus Classic Balloon Festival, to be held at the Santa Paula Airport this coming Friday and Saturday. Friday night balloons will put on a show called the Balloon Glow, similar to the photo above. Saturday morning (6:00 a.m.) the balloons will ascend into the early morning sky. For more information log on to www.citrusclassicballoons.com (photo by Brian D. Wilson). |
Citrus Classic Balloon Festival this weekend at Santa Paula Airport
July 23, 2008
Santa Paula News
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula TimesYou’ll be tickled pink - and every other shade of delight - this weekend with the first-ever Citrus Classic Balloon Festival taking off at Santa Paula Airport. The 2008 Citrus Classic will fill the sky with dozens of hot air balloons - including Limoneira Company’s own lemon balloon - thrilling visitors to the inaugural event, which will also include an array of fantasy balloons of all shapes and genres.This family celebration is the first of its kind in Ventura County and one of the few such gatherings where that first form of human flight, hot air balloons, will fill the sky Friday evening and early Saturday until noon.Free shuttle service - Friday, 4:30 to 11 p.m. and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. - will be available from throughout Santa Paula at free designated parking areas: Airport West at the south end of Palm Avenue; Harding Park in the 1300 block of East Harvard Boulevard; Glen City Elementary School, West Main Street and Steckel Drive; Teague Park, the 500 block of East Harvard Boulevard; the Depot, 10th and Santa Barbara streets; City Hall, 970 E. Ventura St.; and the McGrath parking lot on East Telegraph Road.According to Festival Coordinator Carla Edwards, the fun will start Friday at 6 p.m. at the Kids Activity Korral, where a Western roping demonstration by the Schimmel Family will be followed by the opportunity to see real live soccer action by the Ventura County Fusion Soccer stars, who will happily sign autographs for the kids. Children will also enjoy Jolly Jumps, face painting, and a chance to give the Sunkist Orange mascot a healthy squeeze, as well as live music by “From Jupiter.”A Wine & Beer Garden, Vendor Village, Art Gallery and live broadcasts by 1520 AM radio personality Maria Sanchez and Radio Live Lazer will help keep the crowd entertained until the 6:30 p.m. ribbon cutting ceremony featuring Santa Paula Mayor Bob Gonzales and the City Council. During the evening balloon crews will prepare the area for the Glow, where balloons are laid out and then slowly inflated to full height to gently sway in the breeze as the air flame illuminates the structure, hence the nickname.DJ Bruce Barrios will start spinning at 7 p.m. as the Balloon Glow starts. The evening will wind down until Festival gates are closed at 10 p.m.You’ll want to get up early Saturday for the 6 a.m. Festival opening ceremony featuring Supervisor Kathy Long, followed by takeoff of the balloons, which will be competing in a Hare & Hound Race. The balloons launch through 8 a.m., ascending one by one against the backdrop of South Mountain, the Topa Topas and the Pacific Ocean.Food and beverage vendors will also be on hand bright and early for the opening of the Festival, as will DJ In the Mix’s Tim Knapton. The Beer & Wine Garden will open at 8 a.m., and the “Holly Rollers” - led by a Holly Road resident - will offer live music starting at 8:30 a.m., and the Kids Activity Korral will resume Friday’s offerings for the youngsters, also at 8:30 a.m. Added to Saturday’s fun line-up is the 1903 Wright Brothers Flight Simulator, where kids will be able to experience a replica of the famous Flyer machine.
