Balloon festival stays afloat here amid pandemic
The pandemic isn’t going to ground the Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival.
The enduringly popular event hosted by the Caballeros de Yuma will mark its 30th anniversary this weekend.
But it will take place under some restrictions aimed at promoting social distancing amid a surging number cases of COVID-19 in Yuma County and around the nation.
Previously a three-day festival, it will take place Saturday and Sunday, with a shortened schedule of events all slated at the Yuma West Wetlands Park, located along the Colorado River at 1st Street and 22nd Avenue.
The Caballeros did not want to suspend this year’s festival, not after it had proved so popular for so long – and not as it was about to reach a milestone, its 30th year.
“We wanted to keep the tradition going,” said Caballero Steve Legros, the chairman of this year’s
festival. “We’re trying to keep going forward (with events) because the public anticipates them.
Spectators are invited to the Saturday and Sunday morning balloon launches set to take place at sunrise, but parking at the Yuma West Wetlands will be limited. They are asked to stay in their vehicles or, should they want to step out of their automobiles, to wear masks and maintain a safe
distance from one another.
The Saturday balloon glow is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. People will be able to see it from their vehicles as they pass through the park in a drive-through event only. They will enter the park through the 22nd Avenue entrance and following a route directed by electronic signs and Yuma police officers, leaving the park through the 12th Avenue entrance.
Motorists won’t be able to stop to watch the glow, but, said Legros, “they can circle back and drive through as many times as they want.”
Past balloon glows, held at Desert Sun Stadium, were accompanied by the music blaring from the sound system. During Saturday’s glow, Yuma radio station Z93 will be broadcasting from the park, Legros said, and visitors can listen to the music as they drive past the balloons.
During past balloon glows, the public could walk onto the baseball field for a close look at the balloons.
But in a pandemic year, “to control the number of people and (ensure) social distancing at the balloon glow would have been complicated,” Legros said. The layout of the Desert Sun Stadium would preclude motorists driving near the balloons, he added.
“The West Wetlands is set up for a drive-through event. It’s long and linear.”
The need for social distancing was also prompted the Caballeros reduce the number of balloonists taking part in this weekend’s festival. Most are out-oftown balloonists.
“It’s a scaled down version” of the festival, Legros said. “We’re trying to be cognizant of all the rules (for social distancing) and still have an event the public will enjoy.
“We felt it was something important to do for the community,” he added.
Admission to the morning launches and drivethrough balloon glow is a canned food or other non-perishable food item. Collection boxes will be placed at the entrances to the park, allowing visitors to drop off the food through the car window.
At every festival the Caballeros have collected food for a local charitable organization. This year the food will go to the Yuma Community Food Bank, which saw the number of people it served climb this year as the pandemic caused so many job losses.
“This is the perfect opportunity for us to restock their shelves,” Legros said.
The Caballeros, he said, are confident they have arrived at a plan the balances the need for safety with the public’s desire to see the festival.
“We’ll build on it again next year if, fingers crossed, the (need for social distancing) restrictions is reduced and we can get back to (pre-pandemic years).”