SOARING OVER VALLEY BALLOON PARADE BRIGHTENS WEEKEND.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer PALMDALE - More than two dozen brightly colored hot-air balloons took to the skies above Palmdale Saturday morning on the first day of the 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. The event surprised a number of people on the ground after wind patterns pushed many of the balloons over densely populated pop·u·late tr.v. pop·u·lat·ed, pop·u·lat·ing, pop·u·lates 1. To supply with inhabitants, as by colonization; people. 2. residential areas instead of the open expanse of desert the balloonists are used to soaring over. ``The winds were kind of off this year,'' said 16-year veteran of the sport, Bill Armstrong Bill Armstrong (born June 25, 1966 in London, Ontario) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in one NHL game for the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1990-91 NHL season and spent the rest of his professional career in the AHL and IHL. , who took to the skies before dawn as the Dawn Patrol. ``They normally come from the southwest, so we were heading in the opposite direction.'' The three-day parade is in its fourth year, with proceeds benefiting the 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 Domestic Violence Council, Antelope Valley's Sexual Assault Response Service and other charities. The first balloon, Armstrong's, took off about 6 a.m. before sunrise at Marie Kerr Park at 30th Street West and Rancho Vista Boulevard. The balloon was lit up from the inside by its propane propane, CH3CH2CH3, colorless, gaseous alkane. It is readily liquefied by compression and cooling. It melts at −189.9°C; and boils at −42.2°C;. burner, and the result was a brilliant mix of colors not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed. See also: Color with the black sky as a backdrop. The remainder of the balloons took off about 6:45 a.m. This year, the Palmdale sheriff's station was flooded with calls from residents about balloons setting down in front of their homes, blocking their streets, or landing at busy intersections blocking traffic for several minutes while the pilots reeled in their ballons and cleared their equipment from the roadway. In one case, a low-flying balloon frightened a woman's horse. Several other residents called to complain about the noise of the burners as the balloons drifted over their homes. Pilots and crews, however, said that they typically fly over an open area northeast of where the winds took them on Saturday. They also said that if the wind direction is the same today, many of the balloons will just be tethered Attached to a data or power source by wire or fiber. Contrast with untethered. to the ground, allowing them to go a short distance into the air. They will also be offering rides for a fee, with the price determined by the pilot. Those proceeds will go to charity. People will also be able to meet the pilots, crews, sponsors and charity representatives at a banquet from 4 to 8 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 Ranch Road. The banquet is $15 for adults and $8 for children. Lancaster Sunrise Rotary Club will host a pancake pancake, thin, flat cake, made of batter and baked on a griddle or fried in a pan. Pancakes, probably the oldest form of bread, are known in different forms throughout the world. breakfast at the park about 6 a.m. each day of the festival. Spectators of the event are admitted for free. Many of the pilots are already gearing up to go to the International Balloon Fiesta Balloon Fiesta may refer to the following balloon festivals:
Albuquerque (pronounced [ˈæl.bə.kɚ.kiː], Spanish: [al.βu. in October. The event is the country's largest hot-air balloon event, with 750 or more balloons participating annually. Armstrong, who is sponsored by Nextel, was invited to be the lead Dawn Patrol balloonist for the kickoff of the event. He said he is excited about the event and loves the sensation of hot-air ballooning. ``It's like you're suspended over the world,'' Armstrong said. ``There's no sense of movement. It's like you looking out of a window, and the world is moving beneath you. It's very serene and peaceful.'' Greg Botonis, (661) 267-7813 greg.botonis(at)dailynews.com IF YOU GO The Labor Day Sky Parade is scheduled today and Monday at Marie Kerr Park, at the corner of 30th Street West and Rancho Vista Boulevard in Palmdale. The balloons are expected to take off between 6:45 a.m. and 7 a.m. CAPTION(S): 5 photos, box 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 -- ran in Valley and AV editions only) The hot-air balloons, above, set out from Marie Kerr Park. (2 -- color in AV edition only -- ran in AV and SAC and Simi editions only) At top, a few grounded balloons await takeoff on Saturday. (3 -- ran in AV and Simi editions only) A crew prepares to set up a hot-air balloon for its takeoff in the Labor Day Sky Parade at the Palmdale park. (4 -- ran in AV and Simi editions only) Bill Armstrong of Palmdale uses a propane burner to put air in his balloon, named Band of Gold, before its launch. (5 -- ran in AV edition only) The crowd gets a good look at one of the massive balloons being fired up at Marie Kerr Park on Saturday. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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