Mesquite Hot Air Balloon Festival; STGnews Photo Gallery

Written by Dave Amodt
January 25, 2014
Hot Air Balloon Festival, Mesquite, Nev., Jan. 25, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News

MESQUITE, Nev. – Balloons took to the skies over Mesquite, gracing and racing over the Virgin Valley Saturday morning. It’s Hot Air Balloon Festival weekend in Mesquite, Nev., ongoing through Sunday.

Racers came from Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, California, Texas, and Canada, some 39 of them depicted on the festival’s colorful roster.

The weather for the balloon fest was mild with a slight breeze. The event kicked off with Gayle McCoy, the festival’s balloon meister, who has been working with the event since 2011, checking licenses and insurance. He then sent off the first helium balloon to check the weather patterns and wind. McCoy has been ballooning since 2006.

The McCoy balloon team set their balloon off with the help of the Mesquite fire department which held the ropes while McCoy’s wife filled the balloon with air from a large fan.

The balloons were followed by a “Squawk! The Show” bird show at the CasaBlanca Resort showroom. The festival continues with a variety show on Saturday and more balloon events Saturday and Sunday.

Hot Air Balloon Festival, Mesquite, Nev., Jan. 25, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
Hot Air Balloon Festival, Mesquite, Nev., Jan. 25, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George New

Saturday, Jan. 25, event schedule

  • 6 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – schedule omitted, time has past
  • 2:30-3:30 p.m. – Special Family Variety Show of Shows at the CasaBlanca Resort Showroom
  • 4-6 p.m. – Champagne Tasting at CasaBlanca Resort Skydome Lounge
  • 6-7 p.m. – Balloon Night Glow at the CasaBlanca south parking lot
  • 8:30 p.m. – Neil Diamond the Tribute starring Rob Garrett and the KOD band at CasaBlanca Resort Showroom. 21 and older only.

Sunday, Jan. 26, event schedule

  • 6 a.m. – Hot Air Balloon set up at Oasis Resort parking lot
  • 6:45 a.m. – Pilots Meeting at Oasis Resort parking lot
  • 7:30 a.m. – Balloon Launch at Oasis parking lot

Event details and contact information 

  • When: Saturday, Jan. 25 through Sunday, Jan.26
  • Location: CasaBlanca Resort & Casino, 950 West Mesquite Boulevard, Mesquite, Nev.
  • Additional information can be found on the CasaBlanca event website

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. 

 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.

Hot Air Balloon Festival, Mesquite, Nev., Jan. 25, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
Hot Air Balloon Festival, Mesquite, Nev., Jan. 25, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dave Amodt grew up in St. George, Utah, loving anything to do with the outdoors. By day, you'll find him out repairing air conditioners and furnaces and in his free time, he loves photography, mountain biking, hiking, ATV-ing, astronomy, and rappelling. He loves meeting new people and getting to know about them and their stories. He's having fun working with St George News.com.

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