Hot Springs to Host Festival Fueled by Hot Air Balloons and BBQ - by Zoie Clift

First posted on 09-10-2008

HOT SPRINGS—If BBQ or Hot Air Balloons are your thing, be sure to keep September 19-21 open. During these days, Hot Springs will serve as base-camp to a festival celebrating both. The event, deemed Smoke On the Water and The Legends Balloon Rally, combines two events — barbecuing and hot air ballooning — into a versatile weekend.

The festival will be held at the Hot Springs Municipal Airport and will be free and open to the public. The location was chosen since it was large enough to accommodate the large numbers of barbecue rigs and hot air balloons anticipated.

Smoke on the Water is already established as one of nation’s most famous competitive barbecuing contests. It had been held in Pine Bluff since its inception, but was moved to Hot Springs for the first time this year. Organizers of the $50,000 Smoke on the Water Arkansas Barbecue Challenge already have 150 of the top barbecue-cooking teams in the world lined up to compete.

According to Steve Arrison, CEO of the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, the balloon rally will be an interesting sight to take in.

“Visitors will get to see the beauty of 25 balloons flying above the city.” said Arrison. “The event starts with a beautiful balloon glow on Friday evening. When they fire up the balloons at night they look like stained glass. It’s beautiful.”

Arrison said the 7:15 p.m. balloon glow is followed by a free concert featuring country star Tracy Byrd, Hot Springs’ first-ever celebrity spokesman, at the Memorial Field. The next morning (7-9:30 a.m.) the balloons will fly in to the field and compete in various competitions. They will fly out of the airport later that day at 5:45 pm. That night (Saturday) there will be another free concert by Parrots of the Caribbean, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band. The competition ends with a fly in to the airport at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Also on the agenda for the event is an antique car show. As to the event, no coolers or dogs will be allowed on site. Also, bring lawn chairs as there will be no seating provided. Vendors will be on site selling food and beverages but there will be no balloon rides offered. For more information about the festival call Steve Arrison at 501-321-2027