2011 Harvest Balloon Festival at Sterling on the Lake

2011 Harvest Balloon Festival at Sterling on the Lake, a set on Flickr.

Stirred by an autumn breeze, the turning leaves of the trees rustled in the wind. Cool temperatures and clear skies created the perfect setting for the Second Annual Harvest Balloon Festival at Sterling on the Lake in Flowery Branch, Georgia.

In case you didn’t know, the hot air balloon is the oldest, successful, human-carrying flight technology. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air balloon created on December 14, 1782 by the Montgolfier brothers.

Sterling on the Lake bustled, while people gathered amidst of colorful hot air balloons as they filled with heated air, expanding slowly like behemoths stretching after a long sleep. The balloons covered the park-like setting with color and form. And then, they slowly, majestically, silently lifted off the ground, floating up into the sky. There they paused shortly, hanging like ornaments decorating the blue sky, before flying off.

Later, guests celebrated fall with pumpkin carvings, hayrides, face paintings, tasty treats, games, and live music throughout the day.

The celebration ended with a balloon glow that evening. It was quite extraordinary to behold, as one hot-air balloon after the other ignited its burner … and, finally, all of them were lit up, creating a beautiful effect against the evening sky.

Admission into the festival was free.  Money raised through parking fees and purchases benefited the National Military Family Association, which provides support to families of the military, and Challenged Child and Friends, an organization that serves children with disabilities through educational, therapeutic, nursing and family counseling services.