{"id":36299,"date":"2023-04-18T16:31:50","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T20:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=36299"},"modified":"2023-04-18T16:31:50","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T20:31:50","slug":"approaching-50th-anniversary-officials-say-balloon-fest-economic-impact-is-enormous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/04\/approaching-50th-anniversary-officials-say-balloon-fest-economic-impact-is-enormous\/","title":{"rendered":"Approaching 50th Anniversary, Officials Say Balloon Fest Economic Impact Is Enormous"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
This year\u2019s Adirondack Balloon Festival, slated for Sept. 21-24, will have special-shaped balloons marking its 50-year history. Officials say they expect some 150,000 visitors.
Courtesy Adirondack Balloon Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Paul Post<\/p>\n

Planning for the golden anniversary of Warren County\u2019s most popular fall attraction is well under way, already providing a major economic boost to the region\u2019s hospitality industry, highlighted by hundreds of advance hotel room bookings.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Adirondack Balloon Festival, slated for Sept. 21-24, will have the most special-shaped balloons in its 50-year history, joined by nearly 100 other pilots and 150,000 visitors from throughout the U.S. and overseas, according to organizers.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI wish we were able to afford a true economic impact study because I\u2019m sure it would be in the millions of dollars, especially with a good weather weekend,\u201d said Mark Donahue, festival board president. \u201cRight now we\u2019ve booked rooms in 12 different hotels. We need 400 to 500 hotel rooms this year for all our special guests.\u201d<\/p>\n

The all-volunteer run, nonprofit festival operates on a roughly $200,000 budget, only a fraction of the money spent by large commercial ballooning events in Albuquerque, N.M., ($10 million) and Reno, Nev., ($2.5 million), which have paid professional staff.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span>The Adirondack festival was founded by the late Walter and Joan Grishkot with help from veteran balloon pilot John Marsden of Manchester, Vt. It has remained true to their goal of holding a free, family-oriented event, which has entertained generations of people during the past five decades.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>About a quarter ($50,000) of the festival\u2019s funding comes from Warren County in the form of occupancy tax revenue. However, organizers are hopeful for extra support from the local business community and residents in order to host the best festival possible with a variety of special activities surrounding this year\u2019s milestone event.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWhen you do a program ad with us now it also goes on our website,\u201d Donahue said. \u201cThat\u2019s invaluable. Last year the county Tourism Department and festival websites and Facebook pages had 30 million hits in one day. Not many events can say that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Businesses and individuals may also sponsor a balloon, and online donations may be made online at www.adirondackballoonfest.org.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Warren County derives a significant financial benefit from the festival as parking revenue and RV and charter bus pass sales goes into its coffers.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Although most activities take place at Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury, balloon crews and out-of-town visitors fill hotel rooms and patronize restaurants throughout the area, generating significant county and state sales tax as well.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cMany of our member hotels utilize the balloon festival in their marketing for the fall,\u201d said Amanda Metzger, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce marketing director. \u201cIt\u2019s a great benefit to our member accommodations, retailers, restaurants and other businesses because when people aren\u2019t at the festival they\u2019re enjoying the rest of what our region has to offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSeptember is such a beautiful time to visit because it\u2019s usually still comfortable outside, so many warm-weather activities are still available while there may be some fall colors just starting to show. We are grateful for those who organize the balloon festival and congratulate them on half-a-century of flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>One of the festival\u2019s most overlooked aspects is the money it raises for local service organizations and non-profit agencies, whose booths at the airport are visited by crowds numbering in the tens of thousands.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThis festival has generated very close to a $1 million for nonprofits in our community over the years,\u201d Donahue said. \u201cNo other event can say that. That\u2019s all money that\u2019s staying here, enhancing quality of life in our region. That\u2019s outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Zonta\u2019s giant craft fair raises funds for scholarships and service projects with an emphasis on breast cancer prevention and education.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The Open Door Mission, which helps homeless and underprivileged persons, holds a large fund-raising breakfast at the airport on Saturday and Sunday mornings.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe do make some revenue, that\u2019s been a huge blessing for us as an organization, but the Balloon Breakfast in my mind is all about the relationships we\u2019ve built with the very incredible individuals who run the event and the volunteers we\u2019ve developed over the years,\u201d said Jamie Munyon, the Mission\u2019s executive director. \u201cOne of our staff members came to us after serving as a breakfast volunteer. The festival is so incredibly unique to our area. For us, I think it\u2019s more about exposure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the big piece for our organization. Quite often people don\u2019t know what we do in the community, so it\u2019s a chance to familiarize them with all that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>EDC Warren County Executive Director Jim Siplon said, \u201cEvery place aspires to have iconic experiences and events that help define and create lasting connections with its community and welcome visitors. In our area, the Adirondack Balloon Festival is, and has been for generations, that unique and meaningful event that creates lasting positive connections for so many.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn economic terms, the event is enormous,\u201d he said. \u201cIt not only acts as a conduit for thousands of unique visitors, but creates a connection that reliably brings back repeat visitors. It also acts a pivot in the seasons for our increasingly year-round tourism market that is robust and growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Siplon said the festival\u2019s popularity reaches countless prospective visitors, sometimes in ways that can\u2019t be measured, such as word-of-mouth advertising.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cLiterally thousands of people from across the U.S. and many other countries have formed lasting and positive connections with our region through the Adirondack Balloon Festival,\u201d he said. \u201cOne of the largest events of its type in the country, it is a hallmark of our area that never fails to bring joy to those that we see every year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Post Planning for the golden anniversary of Warren County\u2019s most popular fall attraction is well under way, already providing a major economic boost to the region\u2019s hospitality industry, highlighted by hundreds of advance hotel room bookings. This year\u2019s Adirondack Balloon Festival, slated for Sept. 21-24, will have the most special-shaped balloons in its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":36300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nApproaching 50th Anniversary, Officials Say Balloon Fest Economic Impact Is Enormous - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/04\/approaching-50th-anniversary-officials-say-balloon-fest-economic-impact-is-enormous\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Approaching 50th Anniversary, Officials Say Balloon Fest Economic Impact Is Enormous - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Paul Post Planning for the golden anniversary of Warren County\u2019s most popular fall attraction is well under way, already providing a major economic boost to the region\u2019s hospitality industry, highlighted by hundreds of advance hotel room bookings. 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