166-FOOT BUNNY TO SAIL SKIES BELIEVE IT WHEN YOU SEE FLYING RABBIT.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer PALMDALE - An Energizer Bunny The Energizer Bunny is the marketing icon and mascot of Energizer batteries. It is a pink rabbit that beats a bass drum and wears sunglasses and blue sandals and has been appearing in television commercials since 1989. taller than the Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty great symbolic structure in New York harbor. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : America Statue of Liberty perhaps the most famous monument to independence. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : Freedom will lead dozens of hot-air balloons this weekend through Antelope Valley's clear skies Clear Skies could refer to:
The sixth annual Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. Sky Parade, which raises money for local charities, will feature 32 balloons from as far as Missouri, Utah and Arizona that will float over Palmdale for three mornings. ``The view of the valley is awesome,'' said Jim Tatangelo, one of the organizers. Balloons will depart just after dawn Saturday, Sunday and Monday from Marie Kerr Park on Rancho Vista Boulevard at 30th Street West, drift with the wind across the valley and land in fields and open desert. Balloons will start filling up at about 6:30 each morning on the park lawns. Because there are so many balloons, they can't all inflate and depart at the same time. ``They probably will have to do three waves,'' said Tatangelo's wife, Jan, another festival organizer. Organizers advise spectators to bring a blanket, coffee and camera and enjoy the view. Admission is free. People can sign up for rides in advance by calling (661) 943-7616. A ride costs $125. Weight restrictions apply. The star of the festival is likely to be Energizer Holdings Energizer Holdings (NYSE: ENR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri is an American manufacturer of batteries with a market share of approximately 25% [1] with markets in over 165 countries. Inc.'s balloon, a 166-foot-tall reproduction of the drum-beating pink rabbit that has appeared in Energizer battery commercials for 26 years. The Energizer balloon will be the first to lift off because it takes up so much room as it is inflated by two gas burners that put out the heat produced by 50,000 gas grills. ``Because it's so big, it can be in several wind layers at a time, so I have to be careful,'' said pilot Glo Kehoe, who is in a different city each weekend with the craft. To land, she must find a field long enough to lay down something as tall as a 16-story building, she added. Also flying will be a balloon shaped like a 10-story Alpo dog food can - appropriate because hot-air balloons' burners make a high-pitched noise that sets dogs barking as the balloons pass overhead - and a balloon that looks like Smokey Bear Smokey Bear is a fictional character of the longest running public service campaign in United States history. The character's mission is to raise public awareness to protect America's forests. . Each day the balloonists will take part in a ``hare-and-hounds'' race: One balloon will fly to an open field and mark an X on the ground. The other balloons will try to maneuver over the X and toss a bean bag onto it. The Lancaster Sunrise Rotary Club will serve pancake breakfasts starting at 6 a.m. each day for $5. Booths will sell food, T-shirts, jewelry, ballooning paraphernalia and other merchandises. Along with balloonists, crews and festival volunteers, the general public is invited to a dinner at 4 p.m. Sunday at Hacienda hacienda also called estancia (Argentina and Uruguay) or fazenda (Brazil) In Latin America, a large landed estate. The hacienda originated in the colonial period and survived into the 20th century. Lane Ranch, 5600 Hacienda Lane Road, catered by Jalapena Grill. The cost is $20. The Tatangelos and fellow Quartz Hill Chamber of Commerce members Don and Kamma Kissack, whose Don's Early Light is the Antelope Valley's only commercial balloon company, started the festival six years ago after discussing the idea for several years. ``The pilots love this area. We have really good weather in the mornings. We have open space so they have a good amount of room to land,'' Jan Tatangelo said. The festival started at the Lancaster auto mall. This is its second year at Marie Kerr Park. Organizers said they could have drawn more balloons this weekend, but didn't have the space they'd hoped for because construction hasn't finished on a park expansion project. ``We could have had 50 - no problem,'' Don Kissack said. Sponsors include KB Home, John Laing For John Laing, the 15th century bishop of Glasgow, see John Laing (bishop) John Laing plc is a British developer and operator of privately financed, public sector infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, hospitals and schools through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Homes, High Desert Medical Group, Antelope Valley Ford, Waste Management and American Medical Response American Medical Response, Inc. (AMR) is the largest private ambulance provider in the United States. AMR and EmCare are wholly owned subsidiaries of EMSC L.P., an emergency management company held by the investment firm Onex. AMR is based out of Greenwood Village, Colorado. . CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour AV edition only) The Energizer Bunny hot-air balloon makes a test flight before leading the annual Antelope Valley Labor Day Sky Parade. (2) Larry Swistoski, left, helps pilot Glo Kehoe, kneeling, fire up the Energizer Bunny hot-air balloon at Marie Kerr Park. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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