Reno-Tahoe

It was nearing our scheduled 7 a.m. launch time, and pilot David Wakefield was busy with last-minute details: checking rigging, test-firing the burners, tethering the balloon to the bumper of the chase vehicle. And he was doing it all with a grin stretching from ear to ear.

Such is the life of a balloon pilot during the Great Reno Balloon Race. Safety is first, but fun runs a close second. And Wakefield was obviously having fun.

“When you love something this much, it never gets old,” he said. He ran from one side of the balloon to the other, all the while trading jokes with our fellow passengers and doing the “work” of preparing for our ascent in the Harrah’s-sponsored balloon.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Thursday’s media day event was a scaled down version of what visitors to Reno’s Rancho San Rafael Park (map) can expect this weekend (Sept. 11-13). About two-dozen balloons were set out in the park’s green pastures, propane burners blasting hot air as the colorful nylon bloomed all around us. My first ride in a balloon offered perfect conditions, as the sun peaked over the Virginia Range to the east. It was majestic.

Our route took us in a box formation about 1,500 feet up where we mingled with other balloons and traded positions with fellow fliers. The silence is the striking thing – interrupted only by the occasional burner blast that would give us our lift. From our vantage point, we could see all of the Truckee Meadows, with the cities of Reno and Sparks laid out before us. We floated east, then south above the University of Nevada campus. With predictable wind, and luck of the draw, a draft brought us back almost directly to where we started.

With a master’s touch, Wakefield set us down about 100 feet from our original launch site. And with my first flight under my belt, I stepped out of the basket, grinning from ear to ear. This would never get old.

The Great Reno Balloon Race 2009

• When: Sept. 11-13
• Where: Rancho San Rafael Park, Reno
• Cost: FREE!
• Time: Events starting at dawn
• On the Web: www.RenoBalloon.com

Have you ever attended “Burning Man,” the wildly original annual art event that attracts more than 50,000 people to a remote area of northern Nevada on the Black Rock Desert?

Described as an “experiment in community, radical self-expression and radical self-reliance,” it’s really out there, both artistically and geographically.

Many friends make the annual trek to this destination. After getting to Reno, it requires a three car ride through ascetically beautiful desert and small but not forgotten towns.

Now, thanks to the wonders of technology, you can get a sense of the place without leaving home.

All you have to do is watch the live stream from “Burning Man,” which gets its name from the ritualized, Saturday night burning of the colossal male timber figure.

The Great Reno Balloon Race is a beloved event, which has decorated the Reno sky for 28 years. The early hours are all worth it once 100 balloons ascend into the early morning sky for a spectacular show of bright colors and fun shapes.

To make this year’s event an easy and worry free experience, follow some of these simple tips provided by the event organizers:

Stay in your pajamas on Saturday, Sept. 12 for The World’s Largest Pajama Party, sponsored by momslikeme.com and Farmers Insurance! Hang out in the pajama party tent and get your photo taken by the Pajamarazzi. Come in your best (or worst) bed-head to enter in the Bed-Head competition. Register at www.renoballoon.com.

• September mornings tend to be a little chilly and the weather can be unpredictable, so be sure to dress in layers.
• Please leave your pets at home. Large of crowds of people, strange surroundings and weird noises may scare them and make them act out of character.
• Smoking is prohibited on the launch field. Dry grass, propane and sparks do not mix.
• Bring a camera with you so you can capture every moment of this incredible event.
• Admission is free, but make sure you bring money for tethered rides, souvenirs or food and drink from a variety of vendors.
• Parking is limited at the event so make sure to arrive early. You can also use RTC RIDE, which will have both pick-up and drop-off at three different locations: CITICENTER in Downtown Reno, Reed High School and Meadowood Mall. Also, many local hotel sponsors provide transportation, so be sure to ask when you check in.

For more information about this year’s Great Reno Balloon Race and a complete schedule of events, visit www.renoballoon.com.

- Provided by the Great Reno Balloon Race

The Great Reno Balloon Race returns for its 28th year Sept. 11, 12 and 13 to Rancho San Rafael Regional Park in northwest Reno, showcasing more than 100 hot-air balloons from all over the world. This year’s event will include the World’s Largest Pajama Party on Saturday, Sept. 12. So stay in your PJs and don’t be afraid to show off that bed-head in the hilarious Bed- Head Competition.

Crowd favorites return this year with the Wells Fargo-sponsored bumble bees and stagecoach- shaped balloon. The Energizer Bunny keeps going and going as it makes yet another appearance this year, with ears as tall as the presidents’ faces on Mount Rushmore! Smokey the Bear returns to the Balloon Race thanks to Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators. The Mayflower balloon will make its third event appearance this year thanks to Sierra Moving Systems.

A new shape will make its debut at the Balloon Race this year thanks to the Wilbur D. May Foundation.  Pandy the Panda Bear, standing at 100-feet tall, will provide tethered rides to children after Mass Ascension each day. Lastly, Tony the Tiger will appear, standing nearly nine stories tall!

It’s worth the wake to see these gentle giants ascend into the early morning sky for a spectacular show of bright colors and fun shapes. For a full event schedule, travel resources and parking information, visit www.renoballoon.com or call (775) 826-1181.

Artown, one of the premier arts festivals in the west, is on its way to a banner year with great opening acts at the beginning of July, with more than 300 performances, many of them free, planned throughout the month.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band brought the flavor of New Orleans to Wingfield Park on July 2 with a free concert that had the crowd dancing, clapping and be-bopping along. The smoky skies cleared out just long enough to let the Northern Nevada sun shine down on the venue, while the band played some new stuff along with the jazz standards for which Preservation Hall is famous.

Every day for the duration of the Artown festival, there are options for every taste, from dance and art, to music and theater. Check online to see a full schedule of events, and if you haven’t experienced Reno during Artown, come and find out what you have been missing.