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A balloon hangs from a vendor’s kiosk at Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston on Friday afternoon after everyone except security left after all events were called off because of rain.

LEWISTON – It was a miserable day from start to finish Friday, yet nobody was declaring the Great Falls Balloon Festival a wash. There was too much good stuff going on and a lot to look forward to.

“We had a really good launch this morning,” festival Treasurer Mel Hamlyn said. “We had about 12 balloons that went up.”

Hundreds of people were gathered at the park shortly after 6 a.m. as the first balloons took to the air. Hours after the launch, people were still buzzing about it.

Just before 7 a.m. Friday, Karre Kern of Portland and her son, Quincy Kern, 14, stood close to the wicker passenger basket of Last Penny, in which they would take their first balloon flight. Last Penny is owned and piloted by William Colyer, of Fairfield, Connecticut. He flies his balloon worldwide and has been a regular of the Lewiston festival for 20-plus years.

“I have wanted to do this ever since I saw the ‘Wizard of Oz,’ ” Kern said.

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How did Quincy feel about his first balloon flight?

“It’s awesome,” he said. “And a little bit nerve wracking.” He added that most people “don’t realize how big it is until you’re up close.”

Karre Kern said she has been to hot air balloon festivals in Tennessee, Kentucky and New York over a period of 20 years, and she gives high marks to the Great Falls Balloon Festival.

As the first and second balloons rose from the field, flocks of birds flew from riverside trees, startled by the massive figures in their space.

The Lost Penny balloon carrying the Kerns was the third one in the sky. The balloons stayed low as they drifted toward New Auburn. Crowds of people rushed from the Simard-Payne Memorial Park field onto the Grand Trunk Railroad bridge, now a pedestrian way between Auburn and Lewiston. They watched from the bridge railing as several balloons dipped down and made quick splashes on the Androscoggin River.

All of the Friday morning launches were completed by 7 a.m.

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A few balloons lifted off from Auburn locations, and they could be seen above downtown Court Street soon after the majority of the balloons had cleared the Lewiston launch site. 

Tom-Cat, one of this year’s character balloons, was inflated and tethered throughout the morning hours Friday. Tom-Cat, along with companion balloon Terry the Mouse, are owned and flown by John Cavin of Iowa. Both balloons are new this year.

Shortly after 3 p.m. festival organizers announced that the park would be closed and festival activities canceled while the rain continued to fall. Still, there were high hopes for Saturday.

“It looks like the rain will stop before early morning,” Hamlyn said, “and we’ll be able to get another launch off.”

Steady rain overnight is expected to taper off around 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Gray. Scattered showers are expected later Saturday morning with a chance of thunderstorms around noon.

Sunday, on the other hand, is expected to be mostly sunny.

A balloon festivalgoer walks out of Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston after being told all of the evening’s activities had been canceled.

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