MONROE - Monroe Balloon Rally organizer Matt Urban termed this year's rally a success and said he plans to have the rally again next year.
"We're very, very pleased with the balloon rally," Urban said. "Lots of people came out Saturday and Saturday night."
This was the first year Balloon Rally Inc., headed by Urban, organized the rally. Past rallies were put on by Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry. MCCI decided not to host the event this year because it lost money for the organization.
Urban said he didn't have final figures of how much the rally cost because some money still is coming in and some bills haven't been received. The balloons were sponsored by area businesses, and the money people paid to park their vehicles on the Green County Fairgrounds funded the propane needed to launch the balloons.
The size and scope of next year's event will depend on donations from the community, Urban said. People who still want to support the balloon rally can donate at Wisconsin Community Bank. Urban said checks should be made out to "Monroe Balloon Rally Inc."
Saturday proved to be the best day of the weekend for people who came to see the balloons. Friday's activities were canceled due to the weather.
"The draw of the event surprised me," Urban said. There were spectators from Chicago, Lake Geneva and Milwaukee, he added.
The balloons were able to launch Saturday night and again Sunday morning. There also was a balloon glow Saturday at dusk.
Sixteen balloons were on hand for the rally, Urban said.
It wasn't just the spectators who were impressed, he said. The pilots were "awed" by the number of people they saw on the ground as they launched.
"They told me they saw a lot of people outside the fairgrounds and there were a number of cars that followed the balloon crews to the landing site. We literally had traffic jams on some of the roads," Urban said.
"We're very, very pleased with the balloon rally," Urban said. "Lots of people came out Saturday and Saturday night."
This was the first year Balloon Rally Inc., headed by Urban, organized the rally. Past rallies were put on by Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry. MCCI decided not to host the event this year because it lost money for the organization.
Urban said he didn't have final figures of how much the rally cost because some money still is coming in and some bills haven't been received. The balloons were sponsored by area businesses, and the money people paid to park their vehicles on the Green County Fairgrounds funded the propane needed to launch the balloons.
The size and scope of next year's event will depend on donations from the community, Urban said. People who still want to support the balloon rally can donate at Wisconsin Community Bank. Urban said checks should be made out to "Monroe Balloon Rally Inc."
Saturday proved to be the best day of the weekend for people who came to see the balloons. Friday's activities were canceled due to the weather.
"The draw of the event surprised me," Urban said. There were spectators from Chicago, Lake Geneva and Milwaukee, he added.
The balloons were able to launch Saturday night and again Sunday morning. There also was a balloon glow Saturday at dusk.
Sixteen balloons were on hand for the rally, Urban said.
It wasn't just the spectators who were impressed, he said. The pilots were "awed" by the number of people they saw on the ground as they launched.
"They told me they saw a lot of people outside the fairgrounds and there were a number of cars that followed the balloon crews to the landing site. We literally had traffic jams on some of the roads," Urban said.