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The Festival That Wasn’t, Came From What Was

  • Writer: Lloyd Mize
    Lloyd Mize
  • Jun 3
  • 4 min read

The Festival That Wasn't Came From What Was

Given the current world condition, and the fact that Jesus has not yet returned, we could have all used the pick-me-up of the festival camping, unwinding, music, and community this year. While I don’t have the moxie to make all that happen, I certainly can bring some sunshine to your current moment with a fun tour through the rich history of ballooning in the Temecula Valley. I’ve not got any free wine tastings but depending on which way the wind blows you might be surprised where this journey might end. 


First of all, you didn’t miss it! The 2026 Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival didn’t happen! I did some snooping around to find out the reason why. As usual, my curiosity took me in a direction I didn’t expect. The simple answer is the promoter had financial issues. The fun answer is, you’re going to love what I discovered while looking into the festival that wasn't that came from what was.


From the very first Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival in 1983, only four years have ever been missed. Two due to the circumstances around the pandemic and two, over the past three years, because of reported financial issues. Hot air balloons have been around much longer in the Temecula Valley and even longer around the world.


The next time you see a few random balloons soaring above the perfectly manicured vineyards of the spectacular Temecula Valley wine country you might want to give a head nod to two pioneering French brothers who started something that the was in the Temecula Balloon and Wine festival that wasn't this year. Their original inflated idea deflated quickly. Later, it was refilled to generate a long tradition AND an aerospace powerhouse. Keep reading, I’ll explain.


Back at the beginning of the 1780s two rich, and bored, paper guys from France were staring into a fireplace watching ashes from the paper kindling rise with the heat. From that seemingly inane activity the idea of using heated paper to fly humans came to their collective frontal lobes. Soon after that fireside chat, the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne, engineered the first major hot air balloon by heating air inside big bags made of paper and fabric.


What the two boys created was all the rage! Animal passengers were first to fly where success looked like a duck, a sheep, and a rooster flying for King Louis XVI. Next it was a manned flight over Paris in 1783. Ten years later, George Washington (as in President of the United States) witnessed the first North American flight in Philadelphia in 1793. But the flying machines were not very elegant. Somehow floating a fully operational fireplace under lightweight paper had a host of issues, including the side effect of sudden death. By the late 19th century, and into the 20th century, the massive flying Kroger bags (before there was “paper or plastic?”) were reduced to a minor hobby for those seeking futile thrills. 


Enter (Paul) Ed Yost, a quiet guy with a love for balloons and a big idea. He replaced the airborne fireplaces with the much more controllable, and lighter, propane tanks and burners. He also refashioned the balloon envelope to make it more resilient and, voilà, Hot Air Balloon part deux was born. 


Soon after, in relative terms, it was discovered that the Temecula valley had the perfect microclimate for hot air balloon flights. Ballooning companies began popping up all over as more and more people desired to reach for the heavens by hanging from the bottom of an oversized Muumuu full of hot air.  


That first Temecula Balloon and Wine Fest likely took root soon after the first entrepreneurial ballooning companies began popping up, seeding the idea that ballooning was no longer a passing fad. In fact, one of those companies, founded in 1975, is still around today. If you want, you could probably catch a ride tomorrow with Sunrise Balloons also known as California Balloon Rides.


But here’s the kicker, and the part that gives this local company an incredible global reach: California Balloon Rides isn't just about tourist flights over wine country. They maintain a serious, high-level aviation facility and a dual legacy as an aerospace consultant for major government and defense contractors like Lockheed, General Dynamics, Hughes, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and NASA. 


The company is tapped to assist with things like atmospheric testing or balloon-based heavy lifting. In fact, they have (over the years) set the standard for safety and expertise in the entire industry and have trained professional pilots from Japan, China, the middle east as well as the U.S.


So next time you're tipping back a perfectly aged glass of the south coast’s best wine while admiring the elegance and beauty of one of those beautiful balloons soaring silently overhead, remember you're not just looking at a tourist attraction. You're looking at a finely crafted aircraft that is a firm piece of the aerospace industry. A high-tech vehicle and a direct connection to a company right here in Temecula that connects our home town workers to NASA. Cheers to that! 



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