The Macomb Balloon Rally – like many other events -- will be much different this year due to the pandemic.
Just one activity associated with the rally will take place. The Balloon Glow will be held this Saturday night (September 12) – though it too will be different.
Jodi Pospeschil, Public Relations Chair for the Macomb Balloon Rally committee, said they will host a drive-through balloon glow. She said nine balloons will line up on Vince Grady Field along West University Drive. Spectators won’t be allowed on the field – instead they can drive by as it gets dark.
“This will hopefully still give people a taste of the balloon rally,” said Pospeschil, adding the participating balloons will be good ones for a glow.
“The black balloons don’t glow as well as the yellow and white ones and the more colorful ones. They all glow but there’s some that glow brighter than others. We’re hoping to have a good event.”
The glow will begin at about dusk and continue for around an hour.
Pospeschil said the balloons will be driven to the field instead of landing there after a flight. In fact, the rally will not feature any flights this weekend, but she said they did not want to call off the entire event.
“In discussions with the committee, we decided that there had been so many things that had to be canceled, that this was a way that we could still do something and still have an event and still do something for the community,” she said.
Pospeschil said they will do something else for the community too: a few people will be set up along the route to collect donations for the McDonough County Humane Society and for the Western Illinois University food pantry.
Pospeschil said the drive-through balloon glow will be canceled if it rains or if winds are extremely high. She said notice of cancelation will be posted on the Macomb Balloon Rally Facebook page.
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