Freedom Weekend Aloft

What is Freedom Weekend Aloft?  Freedom Weekend Aloft is an annual 4-day festival featuring 100 hot-air balloons that launch twice per day and compete for prizes. There are also midway rides and games, carnival food and other fun activities such as the Disk Dog Competition and nightly concerts featuring nationally renowned recording artists. The festival promotes affordable family fun, hot-air ballooning, patriotism and tourism in the Upstate area, while raising money for local and regional charities. Freedom Weekend Aloft was established in 1982 by the Greenville Chamber of Commerce to provide a local event centered on patriotic and family entertainment. 1999 was the first year that the Anderson community hosted the event in a new fifteen million dollar sports and entertainment center with grass amphitheater, 45000 sq. ft exhibition and banquet hall, softball fields, tennis courts, soccer fields, paved walkways, small lake, and more. What are the event dates and hours?  May 25 - 28, 2007, gates open from 12 p.m. to 11 pm. How do I get there?  The easiest way to get to the event from Interstate 85 is: From either direction take Exit 19A (US 76/Clemson Blvd). Follow Clemson Blvd/US 76 approximately 4 miles to Mall Road and turn right. Follow mall road to main parking lot on left. Upstate Location: Midway between Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC on I-85. Anderson is just two hours from Atlanta, GA or Charlotte, NC and is in the northwestern corner of South Carolina. Click here for Mapquest  driving directions. What should I wear?  Wear comfortable shoes, as there is a lot of walking involved from the parking areas to the event site and it is a large place. The event site is paved but is located on an incline. The amphitheater is a tiered grass amphitheater with walkways around the outside. Dress appropriately for the weather. How much does the event cost?  Admission to the event is free which covers viewing of the balloons each evening, remote musical stages, children’s entertainment, sponsor displays, disc dog competitions, etc. Parking costs $8, but $6 parking tickets may be available at area Bi-Lo. Headliner concerts cost $15 - $30 on average per show. Amusement rides, food, drinks, souvenirs, games, etc., have a fee also. Where will the Calvary Home for Children booth be located?  We haven’t been given a specific location as yet, but understand it will be close to where it was last year, perhaps a little closer to the Civic Center. Last year we were on the first row of tents about five tents up from the Civic Center. Once the booth is set up, I try to post a picture on the web site to assist you in finding us.

Little Miss/Mr. Freedom Weekend Aloft

Will there be a rehearsal?  Unfortunately, there will be no rehearsal. Our stage time is limited to 2 hours. What is the stage pattern?  Contestants may walk on stage in any patter they choose. They may simply make a full circle, or if they're more comfortable, they may do a T (forward or backward). The pattern is not important. I'd rather see 10 girls all going different directions than 9 doing one way and 1 going the opposite and feeling bad that he/she forgot the pattern. My child is very young. May I walk on stage with her/him?  You certainly may. Young children always feel more comfortable when a parent is nearby. Feel free to escort your child on and off or even the entire time he/she is on stage. What time do I need to be there?  Contestants must check in at the Calvary Home for Children Booth by 3 p.m. on the day of the pageant.  Due to our limited stage time, we must begin promptly at 4 p.m. Can I register or pay my entry when I check in on the day of the pageant?  Sorry, no applications will be accepted at the "door."  The deadline is May 16, 2006.  The entry fee of $75 along with the application must be postmarked by that date.  Applications will only be accepted after this date in the event there are slots available or there is a child wishing to enter an age division for which there is currently only one child entered.  Please call the director for acceptance (864-224-6836).  If necessary, I will arrange a last minute PayPal payment, and the application can be faxed to 864-225-7677. How many contestants will be accepted?  Hopefully we will be able to accept all entries received by the deadline of May 16, 2006.  However, we may have to limit the number of contestants to 50. Which competition category will be first?  We will begin the pageant with Beachwear followed by Beauty.  That way, the contestants will have their nice dresses on for crowning.

The Rai$ing Race Family Edition

My child would like to race with his/her aunt or another adult. Is this permitted?  Sorry, not this year. Teams are limited to one parent and one child (under 12). If things go well this year, we may broaden the eligibility for next year. This would mean adding another waiver to the application packet. My child will turn 12 just before the race. Is he/she eligible to race?  Maybe.  If response is great enough, we may add a separate division for teens.  Our goal is to provide younger children an opportunity to experience the race in a somewhat controlled environment.

The Rai$ing Balloon Race

What is a balloon race?  Balloon races are very popular in England and Australia as fund-raisers. Numbered race labels are sold of which one part is attached to the balloon and the other part filled in by the purchaser with his or her name and address, this part of the label is retained by the organizers who set a closing date for the race, a prize is awarded to the owner of the balloon that has traveled the farthest and a smaller prize to the person who finds the balloon and returns the label. I won’t be at FWA on Sunday.  May I purchase a balloon race ticket on any other day?  Yes. Tickets may be purchased at the Calvary Home for Children booth beginning on Friday at 12 noon and continuing through the weekend until just before the release.   Click here to purchase a ticket using PayPal. How will you prevent someone from being dishonest about where he/she found a balloon?  We do not expect that anyone would be dishonest; however, the original race ticket must be mailed to us clearly showing the postmark. May I purchase more than one ticket?  Certainly!

Rock Paper Scissors Tournament

What is the prize?  A cash prize based on the number of participants will be awarded to the champion. How many participants will there be in the tournament?  There may be up to 96 entries in the first round. One half of those will be eliminated with the other half proceeding to the next round. In the next round, 24 will be eliminated. Each round will continue until there is one champion. How will you prevent the children from cutting back in line once they are eliminated?  Each child will be given a colored bracelet identifying that they are eligible to compete in the first round. The children will be asked to remain in a somewhat straight line until their turn arrives. The winner of each match will be given a new different colored bracelet. The loser will be asked to remove his/her bracelet. If I lose in the first round, may I purchase another bracelet and re-enter the tournament?  No. Once the first round is complete, no one else may enter the tournament. Can I use dynamite?  No! Dynamite is not allowed in official RPS play. Throwing of dynamite will be grounds for immediate disqualification.