Perfect Weather Lifts Galena’s Great Balloon Race to New Heights

This past weekend may have been the perfect weather for 2022, which provided the ideal backdrop for Galena's Great Balloon Race.

The festive affair is an annual fundraiser benefitting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Camp Hertko Hollow. The camp's mission aims to improve the lives of children and youth with diabetes. Campers enjoy the traditional camp activities while learning about living with diabetes.

The fun annual event got off to a fabulous start on Friday and carried over into the weekend. The balloons lifted off on Saturday and Sunday mornings for the Great Galena Balloon Race.

By Saturday evening, the event was well underway with musical entertainment of classic country cover songs and a classical car show with hot rods and cruisers.

But of course, the balloon blow-up and glow-up were the evening's big draw, with the crowd able to wander right up to the balloons to see up close the steps taken to fill a hot air balloon.

The colorful balloons set against an azure blue summer sky delivered a fun night out for those who made the trek to the Galena Territory and the Eagle Ridge Resort.

Events of this nature can sometimes be a challenge to pull off. Still, the Great Galena Balloon Race had it together with an impressive display and organization. The one critique heard among some attendees was the short wait time for a shuttle, but overall the event appears to have gone off without a hitch.

If you couldn't make this year's race, be sure to mark your calendar to attend Galena's Great Balloon Race next year!