HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — Hundreds of families headed to Hudsonville Friday for its annual Balloon Days festival.
Diego Leech, who came to join in on the fun, says the crowds keep getting bigger each year.
“A couple of years ago, wasn’t as busy, but it’s really busy now,” he said.
While festival events kicked off Friday, the hot air balloons were not able to take flight because of the wind.
“Safety is obviously our first and foremost for not only us personally, but for our aircraft,” Derrick Jones, the event director, explained. “We’re getting a lake breeze off of Lake Michigan being so close to the lake, but other than that, the weather’s perfect.”
Wind or no wind— Nathan James told FOX 17 he was just happy to be there, spending time with his son.
“It’s been a good summer. So good to sit back and kind of just relax a little bit,” he said.
Organizers expect the hot air balloons to fill the skies Saturday, with some pilots planning to race and others planning to do some targeting with sandbags.
“We’ve got 18 hot air balloons, basically, for the weekend, that are competing for their championship, for the Hudsonville Balloon Days Champion,” Jones said.
The free festivities resume Saturday at Unity Christian High School.
Spectators can bring kites to fly with the pilots and crews from 3 p.m.- 4 p.m., while the rest of the fun runs from 4 p.m.- 10 p.m.
