Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival
Encyclopedia
The Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival is held annually, the first weekend of June at Lake Skinner
Recreation Area in the Southern California
Temecula Valley AVA
. The event features morning balloon
launches, evening balloon glows
, wine tasting
from more than 20 wineries, wine competition
, food and wine pairing, concerts featuring country on Friday, Classic Rock and Rock on Saturday, and Jazz on Sunday. There is also a giant arts and craft faire, kids faire, and fine art paintings on exhibit within the wine gardens.
At this time, there were only six wineries in the region. (There are over 30 wineries in the region now.) The first Balloon and Wine Festival was launched in the Spring of 1984 and was a monumental success for a town of only 9,000 residents. More than 4,000 people were in attendance that year as 35 balloons were launched from the Rancho California Plaza area off Ynez Road (now Tower Plaza).
As the Festival grew, music was added and the event was moved to the Sports Park. In 1986 as the event continued to grow, it was moved to Cherry Avenue and the first ever poster contest was held. During 1987-1988, the Festival was moved back to the Sports Park and in 1989, it was moved to its current location at Lake Skinner. In 1988, the Festival featured live entertainment with the Coasters and Little Anthony and the Imperials
. In 1991 the Beach Boys
entertained. S
, Kenny Loggins
, Sugar Ray
, Collective Soul
, Gin Blossoms
, James Otto
, Chuck Wicks
, Peter Frampton
and Five for Fighting
. The event also includes a freestyle motocross
show on Sunday.
In 1991 the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival Association was formed when the Chamber of Commerce ceased producing the event. The mission statement of this new non-profit charitable organization
was (and still is) to enhance the charitable, cultural, educational and economic development of the region.
During the 1992-1993 Festival years, no hot air balloon
s were launched but a balloon glow was presented by Paradise Chevrolet in 1993. While the theme of hot air balloons and wine has always served to anchor the event, each year new attractions have been introduced.
Lake Skinner
Lake Skinner is a large reservoir in western Riverside County, California, located at the foot of Bachelor Mountain in the Auld Valley, approximately 10 miles northeast of Temecula...
Recreation Area in the Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
Temecula Valley AVA
Temecula Valley AVA
The Temecula Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in southern Riverside County, California, part of the Inland Empire, one of the fastest growing areas in the country...
. The event features morning balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
launches, evening balloon glows
Night glow
A night glow is an event that is often held as a climax to a hot air balloon festival. The balloons are set up at sunset in the launch area, an open field, or a football stadium and are inflated as if they are going to take off. But instead of being allowed to ascend, they are held down by the...
, wine tasting
Wine tasting
Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onwards...
from more than 20 wineries, wine competition
Wine competition
A wine competition is an organized event in which trained judges or consumers competitively rate different vintages or bands of wine. There are two types of wine competitions, both of which use blind tasting of wine to prevent bias by the judges....
, food and wine pairing, concerts featuring country on Friday, Classic Rock and Rock on Saturday, and Jazz on Sunday. There is also a giant arts and craft faire, kids faire, and fine art paintings on exhibit within the wine gardens.
History
The Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival, then known as the Rancho California Balloon and Wine Festival, was started in 1983 by Walt Darren, a commercial airline pilot and avid balloonist and by Evelyn Harker a veteran event organizer and fund raiser. The seed money was provided by Kaiser Development Company and sponsors came from the local community giving what they could with many contributions consisting of in-kind services and products.At this time, there were only six wineries in the region. (There are over 30 wineries in the region now.) The first Balloon and Wine Festival was launched in the Spring of 1984 and was a monumental success for a town of only 9,000 residents. More than 4,000 people were in attendance that year as 35 balloons were launched from the Rancho California Plaza area off Ynez Road (now Tower Plaza).
As the Festival grew, music was added and the event was moved to the Sports Park. In 1986 as the event continued to grow, it was moved to Cherry Avenue and the first ever poster contest was held. During 1987-1988, the Festival was moved back to the Sports Park and in 1989, it was moved to its current location at Lake Skinner. In 1988, the Festival featured live entertainment with the Coasters and Little Anthony and the Imperials
Little Anthony & The Imperials
Little Anthony and the Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice, influenced by Jimmy Scott...
. In 1991 the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
entertained. S
Modern history
Todays concerts are held on two stages. Recent years have included Blake SheltonBlake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
, Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
, Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...
, Collective Soul
Collective Soul
Collective Soul is an American rock band originally formed in Stockbridge, Georgia. Collective Soul broke into mainstream popularity with their first hit single, "Shine", which came from their debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, released in 1993...
, Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms is an American pop rock band formed in 1987, in Tempe, Arizona. They took their name from a photo of W.C. Fields which bore the caption "W.C. Fields with gin blossoms", referring to what appeared to be the actor's gin-ravaged nose, but was actually a skin condition known as rosacea...
, James Otto
James Otto
James Allen Otto is an American country music artist who is a member of the MuzikMafia, a group of country musicians known for their "country music without prejudice"...
, Chuck Wicks
Chuck Wicks
Charles Elliott "Chuck" Wicks is an American country music artist. He was one of the participants on the American reality series Nashville, which aired on Fox Networks for two episodes before its cancellation in mid-2007...
, Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
and Five for Fighting
Five for Fighting
Five for Fighting is the stage name of American singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. He is best known for his piano-based rock, such as the Top 40 songs "Superman " , "100 Years" , and "The Riddle" .-Early years:...
. The event also includes a freestyle motocross
Freestyle Motocross
Freestyle Motocross is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts.The two main types of freestyle events are:...
show on Sunday.
In 1991 the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival Association was formed when the Chamber of Commerce ceased producing the event. The mission statement of this new non-profit charitable organization
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
was (and still is) to enhance the charitable, cultural, educational and economic development of the region.
During the 1992-1993 Festival years, no hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
s were launched but a balloon glow was presented by Paradise Chevrolet in 1993. While the theme of hot air balloons and wine has always served to anchor the event, each year new attractions have been introduced.
See also
- Hot air balloon festivals
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- Art of Food & Wine Palm DesertArt of Food & Wine Palm DesertThe Art of Food & Wine Palm Desert is an annual gathering of art, food and wine enthusiasts in Southern California’s Coachella Valley. The four-day event features food and wine tastings, art exhibitions, celebrity chef demonstrations, culinary seminars, music, shopping and golf.The 2009 event was...
- Tallahassee Wine and Food FestivalTallahassee Wine and Food FestivalThe Tallahassee Wine and Food Festival is an annual two-day charitable event held in November in Tallahassee, Florida, USA which began in 1995.- Non-profit affiliations :...
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- Naples Grape FestivalNaples Grape FestivalNaples Grape Festival is an annual festival in Naples, New York, United States, dedicated to grapes. The town of Naples is in the center of Finger Lakes American Viticultural Area , a region known for grape-growing and wine making in the Finger Lakes area of Upstate New York.The festival, which...