Blimp joins balloons at this weekend’s Color the Skies in Ripon

Up, up and away – emphasis on “away.”

That’s the nature of hot-air ballooning. It’s beautiful to watch the fiery inflation of the colorful orbs and see them lift gently into the air. But all too soon, they’re gone.

But at this weekend’s 10th annual Color the Skies Hot Air Balloon & Kite Festival, there will be a couple of exceptions. One is the tethered balloon rides that will be offered for roughly two hours each morning. The second, new this year to Ripon and a rarity among U.S. balloon festivals in general, is the launching of a thermal airship, commonly called a blimp.

The Amelia Airship, steered by rudder so it can circle the Mistlin Sports Park where the festival is held, is piloted by David Wakefield, owner of Sacramento-based Cheers Aerial Media. The airship, which he purchased from German manufacturer Gefa-Flug, is 135 feet long and more than 50 feet high, bigger than the MetLife blimp, Wakefield said.

It’s one of six operating in the nation, he said, and the Ripon event is the second time one has been flown at a U.S. balloon festival – the first being at one in Albuquerque, N.M.

At Color the Skies, the Amelia Airship will take off and land on the field at Mistlin. It has a top speed of 25 mph, Wakefield said, though he’s gone only as fast as 18 mph. That’s plenty of power to operate in any winds that arise during the festival, he said.

At least one traditional hot air balloon will be tethered Saturday and Sunday mornings to offer up-and-down rides for $10. “Magic” Bob Locklin, piloting a new Re/Max balloon, said the rides go 50 to 100 feet up and last three to five minutes.

He can take two to four people with him, and the only age-related requirement is that children be able to stand on their own in the basket. For those little ones who can’t see over the basket’s rim, there are little windows on the sides to peek through.

“It’s a fun experience,” said Locklin, who has given thousands upon thousands of tethered rides in his 18 years as a pilot. “When people get in the basket, they’re, ‘Eh’ (like it’s no big deal), but when we come down and they’re getting out, they’re jazzed and excited.”

During last year’s festival, he and Wakefield estimate, 300 to 400 people took tethered rides over the festival’s two days. The rides should begin shortly after 7 a.m., once all the other balloons have departed.

Sixteen balloons will be launched – weather permitting, as always – Saturday and Sunday. That’s three more balloons than last year, said Tamra Spade, CEO of the Ripon Chamber of Commerce, which has assumed operation of the festival. They start inflation and liftoff about 6:30 a.m. Weather conditions are looking good for Saturday morning and even better for Sunday, Wakefield said.

In addition to the traditional balloons, there will be at least one novelty-shaped one – the La Ristra, which looks like a string of chili peppers.

Color the Skies benefits Valley Children’s Healthcare in Madera. In addition to the balloon launches and rides, it includes a pancake breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings, Rise, Shine, Give, Run on Saturday morning, a carnival, the Air George medical transport helicopter, a Patriots Jet Team flyover, kite performances and activities, music and more.

Though the festival really doesn’t get under way until Saturday, the carnival will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and the Dave Sousa Band will perform a classic-rock concert starting at 6:30.

In past years, the festival has ended at 3 p.m., Spade said. That’s still the case for Sunday, Spade said, but on Saturday, the carnival portion of the festival will reopen from 5 to 10 p.m. and there will be a 6:30 p.m. concert by the California Outlaws country band.

Fair admission is free, but there is a $5 parking fee at Mistlin Sports Park. Presale carnival tickets, available at the Ripon Chamber of Commerce, are $20 for wristbands or 32 tickets. Ticket wristbands at the event will be $30.

Mistlin Sports Park is at 1201 W. River Road, Ripon. For more information on Color the Skies, including the full schedule of events, see www.riponchamber.org/chamber_foundation/color_the_skies.aspx.

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Blimp joins balloons at this weekend’s Color the Skies in Ripon."