Published: July 27, 2008 12:37 am            

BICENTENNIAL: Rough winds don’t ground high spirits

RIDES: Balloons flights were canceled Saturday, but festival still drew big crowds.

By Caitlin Murray

murrayc@gnnewspaper.com

The show must go on — even when the show is Balloons Over Niagara and weather won’t permit the balloons to fly.

Some windy weather didn’t keep Niagara County residents from coming Saturday to sample the festival’s many other attractions, including a beer tent and rows of gift vendors for the adults, and a “bounce house” and kite-flying for the little ones. The event, hosted on Niagara County Community College’s Sanborn campus, marks the 200th anniversaries of both Niagara County and the Town of Cambria.

“I wanted to see the hot-air balloons, but it’s a little windy,” said Gail Mix, a Niagara Falls resident who came to NCCC Saturday with her husband Roger. “But we’ve been looking at all the crafts. We’ll probably get some food on the way out.”

Friday turned out a bit better for balloon-flying. Flights were delayed but eventually got off the ground with a few balloons offering tethered rides about 50 feet off the ground, said Dennis Dragich, vice president of operations for the college, who helped work the event.

Saturday’s fireworks, parade and music were a big draw, despite the bad weather keeping the skies balloon-free.

“Obviously, we’d like to do it but when we started out we talked about what to do if the weather (isn’t favorable),” he said. “You do the event based on whatever weather you’ve got. I’m just tickled to death — we’ve got a lot of people. It’s a decent crowd, it’s not over crowded. And there’s no snow.”

Overall, as many as 4,000 came to the event Friday, with just as many again on Saturday, Dragich said.

Balloons Over Niagara is an idea that originally came from the Town of Cambria as its bicentennial committee developed plans to hold a large-scale celebration. Niagara County’s bicentennial committee and NCCC got involved, making it one of the largest events for all of the partners. The Town of Cambria, established March 11, 1808, originally encompassed all of Niagara County.

“We are the ‘Mother Town’, as the other 11 towns in the county were all partitioned from our boundaries,” said Wright Ellis, Cambria supervisor, in a written statement.

Today, if weather permits, a final round of balloons will float into the sky bright and early between

6 and 8 a.m. Otherwise, planned events until 4 p.m. will include a pancake breakfast, chainsaw carver, classic car show and the music of Hollydaze.

Contact reporter Caitlin Murray

at 282, 2311, ext. 2251.

        

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