Quick take
- Chennault Fest was scheduled Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum, 701 Kansas Lane in Monroe, according to the museum.
- Both days: gates open and music at 3 p.m.; tethered balloon rides begin at 4 p.m.; balloon glow 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; event ends at 8:30 p.m. Balloon activities are weather permitting.
- Adult one-day general admission is $20 plus a ticket fee; youth (ages 4 to 16) and military or first responder day tickets are $5 plus a fee. Tethered rides are separate: $20 cash or $22 by card per person.
- KNOE reported 10 balloons and said parking follows posted signs with a shuttle to the festival field. Proceeds support museum programs, including PTSD groups and a clothing closet for service members.
Update, Sun., Nov. 8: Chennault Fest was Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7; the museum’s festival page lists no Sunday events. The details below are from before the event. We have not seen attendance or balloon counts from the weekend.
Hot air balloons were scheduled at the Chennault field Nov. 6 and 7. Chennault Fest ran Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum, 701 Kansas Lane in Monroe, the museum’s festival page says.
Both days follow the same outline: gates open and music start at 3 p.m., tethered balloon rides begin at 4 p.m., the balloon glow runs 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and the event ends at 8:30 p.m. Balloon work is weather permitting. The museum says no open balloon rides are scheduled now; if that changes, it will post on Facebook.
Tickets and rides
Adult one-day general admission is $20 plus a ticket service fee. Youth ages 4 to 16 and military or first responder day tickets are $5 plus a fee, per the museum’s ticket page. Tethered rides are not in the festival ticket. They cost $20 cash or $22 by card per person for children and adults and are sold separately.
KNOE reported Friday that 10 balloons were on site with SkyCab Balloon Promotions giving tethered rides, plus live music, food trucks and vendors. Parking follows posted signs, with a shuttle to the festival field next to the museum. Friday bands listed by the museum include Matt Dean, the Chris Baker Band, the Cal Presley Band and Spare Parts. Saturday lists Tammy Martin, Alyssa Freeman Band, Hog Wash and Hidden Tracks.
The festival is a fundraiser for museum programs. KNOE said those include PTSD groups for veterans, service members and first responders, and a clothing closet for service members in need.