LEWISTON – The day’s rain was so heavy that at 4 p.m. Saturday, the Great Falls Balloon Festival and the Railroad Park were closed for the day, said Rick Porter, vice president of the festival’s board.

The rain began falling around 5 a.m. Saturday and continued through most of the day, drenching the Railroad Park, where many of the balloons and people gather. The field was too wet Saturday night to allow vehicles on it, Porter said.

“The field is so saturated, we’re closing today to preserve the field for tomorrow,” he said. That meant no balloons taking off, no balloon glow, and no fireworks Saturday night.

To make up for that, today’s schedule will be especially busy on what is expected to be a sunny Sunday.

“We’ll have a full schedule and a lot of things scheduled for (Saturday) will be held (Sunday),” Porter said. The festival’s hours are being extended to 8 tonight. The festival begins at daybreak, with the morning launch scheduled for 6 a.m.

Many people counting on the festival fun were disappointed. And what do hot air balloon pilots do all day when it rains?

On Saturday some slept. Others waited. Andre Boucher of Derry, N.H., was among those waiting for better weather while his popular Bear Ship balloon was packed away.

Boucher, his wife and the bear crew stood under tarps after the Great Falls Balloon Festival launches were called off. Boucher had a smaller replica of his “Bear Ship,” a remote-controlled balloon complete with a basket and burner, that he was planning to fly in the Railroad Park between flights to delight fans.

The rain put the remote-controlled balloon and all the other fun on hold. “We hope it clears up. We like to fly,” Boucher said, standing in the soggy park.

At the Auburn Inn, where out-of-town pilots are staying, Debbie Harding of Pennsylvania took advantage of the rain by catching up on sleep. Harding is flying the specialty “Amazon Birds” tree balloon, and is one of the handful of women pilots at the festival.

Flying a specialty balloon isn’t much different from piloting a regular balloon, she said, although turning and landing can be tricky.

Harding made history in April 1998, when she became the first woman to fly a hot air balloon over the North Pole. The flight lasted one hour and involved staying in Russian camps surrounded by fences and barbed wire to keep polar bears out. During that flight the temperature was 17 degrees below zero, and it snowed. “The danger was depth perception. Everything’s all white,” Harding said. She had to be careful not to land on thin ice.

Compared to that, flying a giant tree over Lewiston is easy, she said, adding that the best part about ballooning is delivering happiness. On Friday, Harding flew a couple who had always attended the festival but had never gone up in a balloon. The husband recently survived being struck by lighting; his wife has a terminal illness.

The couple was ecstatic about soaring in the tree balloon. “That’s what makes this so fun, sharing it with people,” Harding said from the inn.

Back in the Railroad Park, business wasn’t brisk during the day at the food booths run by nonprofit organizations. Steady rains kept patrons away.

Arthur Burgess was at the booth for St. Philip’s Youth Ministry of Auburn. He said he had a good night Friday, with a line of customers. But rain and no balloons Saturday meant no people.

Business “depends on the balloons going up,” Burgess said. For the youth ministry, the festival is single biggest revenue raiser, and the lack of balloons Saturday night meant more lost revenue, he said.

Several booths away, Phoebe Lowell of the Auburn-Lewiston Rotary Breakfast Club was selling tickets for today’s noon duck race. “The rain has put a damper on things,” she said.

Overall, duck race sales were good. The club is expecting it to bring in $7,000, making it the Rotary’s third largest money raiser, said President Sherwood Moody. The club uses the money to help the community.

While many were unhappy about Saturday’s rain, balloon meister Walter Crites said the weather for today “looks absolutely spectacular.” He predicted that balloon launches will be a go both in the morning and afternoon.

That’s what the pilots wanted to hear. They all say the same thing: They love to fly. Boucher said he especially likes soaring over the Lewiston-Auburn area.

“I’ve been at all 12 festivals here,” he said. “It’s a very good festival. It’s well organized.” The area is ideal to fly in because there are plenty of fields, large yards, and land owners who don’t mind a balloon dropping by, he said. The pilots also like how local fans appreciate them. “People in this community love the balloons,” Boucher said.