Balloon festival returns to Falls City

FALLS CITY - The Falls City Hot Air Balloon Festival returned over the weekend with over 1,000 people purchasing tickets to take in the festivities. 

Falls City Chamber Executive Director Amber Holle said attendance this year was a little lower than previous years with the weather playing a role with temperatures hovering near triple digits for most of the weekend. 

Holle did add that there were far more food trucks this year, though, so visitors should have left with full stomachs. 

Unfortunately, the food trucks and live music had to provide majority of the entertainment as the balloons were unable to get off the ground because of windy conditions.

But those in attendance were still able to enjoy the festival in other ways.

Holle said she loves the balloon festival and addressed how impactful it is for the community. 

"We are super proud of the Falls City Hot Air Balloon Festival," Holle said. "We were able to bring it back after a 30-year hiatus. Its been bringing new life to our town and people are very proud of it."

"[The festival] puts us on the map in a good way," Holle continued. "It brings visitors to our town and we love to show off how beautiful Falls City is."

She also spoke glowingly about all of the volunteers saying she wouldn't have been able to put on the festival without their contributions.