4th of July Balloon Fest

For the past 27 years, Provo has held a Balloon Fest as part of their July 4th festivities. While we haven't gone every year, we have definitely attended quite a few and in looking back, may have been at the first one (but we don't want to admit we're that old).

Each year there are the standard balloons - the Stars & Stripes, the patchwork designs, and even the Piggy Bank has been around the past few years. And then there are the ones that come randomly like Smokey the Bear. And this year, there were two new additions that definitely stood out - Darth Vader and a Coca Cola bottle.

The balloons are spread around a large field and at their designated time start filling with air, which is then heated and causes the balloon to lift. It's fun to walk around and see the varying stages of inflation and to look inside the huge balloons.

This year I didn't do much walking since I was sporting the beautiful, purple cast and it was dewy on the grass. Instead I sat back and took photos. The balloon fest never disappoints - lots of beautiful balloons, a hot, pancake breakfast, and time to chat with friends.

Hope you enjoy the pictures! I also tried out some of my new Photoshop Elements Actions on these photos. I'm kind of addicted the edge burn :)