The 2010 Plano Balloon Festival is an annual Plano Texas event held in September each year, and is one of the city’s largest celebrations for kids and families alike. The Plano Balloon Festival in Plano is celebrating its 31st year in 2010, where approximately 95,000 attendees will experience more local fireworks, fun and excitement of the InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival scheduled on September 17, 18, & 19, 2010 at Oak Point Park in Plano. Oak Point Park is located at 2801 East Spring Creek Pkwy in Plano TX, 75074.

The Plano Balloon Festival is the largest balloon event in Texas, and has evolved over the thirty plus years of its existence into an important fundraiser for local nonprofit organizations. While the specific festival events vary from year to year, the typical balloon festival schedule includes five hot air balloon launches (weather permitting), a large Kids Fun Zone, two stages showcasing local community acts and live bands on Friday and Saturday night, sky divers, fireworks, food and merchandise vendors, and nighttime balloon glows.

A Plano Balloon Festival balloon glow occurs after dusk when the many balloon pilots assemble together with their balloons and equipment on the balloon launch field and then conduct synchronized firings of their balloon’s burners. Weather-related problems may alter the performance of events, perhaps by either preventing or delaying a particular performance, or by eliminating some element of the performance altogether.

The State Farm Kids Fun Zone offers continuous entertainment on the Community Stage; Free “Kid’s Korner” make-and-take art activities; a rock climbing wall; inflatable rides; face painting; sand art, an obstacle course, the Plano Symphony Orchestra will be present, and much more. There are also opportunities for Balloon Festival attendees to take a hot air balloon ride, for a price of course.

The estimated cost to take a hot air balloon ride is $250.00 per person. Hot air balloon riders must be over the age of 10 and be in good health. Pregnant women, people recently released from the hospital, or anyone who currently has any broken bones or casts will not be able to qualify to purchase a hot air balloon ride. To take a hot air balloon ride, contact Air Venture Balloon Port at 972-422-0212 for more information.

Hot air balloon passenger hopefuls under the age of 18 must have parental permission or the parent must also buy a balloon ride and fly with them. All passengers will be required to sign a release form provided by the Festival ride provider, and all riders are accepted or denied at the discretion of the ride operator. The balloon ride ticket booth will be located near the Main Entrance and will be open prior to each balloon launch.

The spectacular three-day event provides spectators an action packed weekend at the Plano Balloon Festival sponsored by InTouch Credit Union, beginning at 4 p.m. Friday, September 17. This weekend event offers something for everyone, regardless of age; Entertainment on the Community Stage and Main Stage, Saturday Evening Spectacular Fireworks Show, special kids activities, and the incredible hot air balloons in various shapes and colors.

Plano Balloon Festival Schedule

Friday, September 17, 2010

4:00 PM Festival Opens and Bus Service Begins
5:30 PM RE/MAX Parachute Team Exhibition
6:00 PM Balloon Launch presented by RE/MAX
7:00 PM Concert on the Main Stage
8:00 PM Balloon Glow
8:45 PM Family fun-filled Street Dance

Saturday, September 18, 2010

6:00 AM Gates & Parking Lots Open and Bus Service Begins
6:30 AM Dawn Patrol “Wake up Plano”
7:00 AM Balloon Launch presented by the City of Plano
5:00 PM RE/MAX Parachute Team Exhibition
6:00 PM Balloon Launch presented by InTouch Credit Union
7:00 PM Concert on the Main Stage
8:00 PM Balloon Glow
9:00 PM Spectacular Fireworks Show

Sunday, September 19, 2010

6:00 AM Gates & Parking Lots Open and Bus Service Begins
6:30 AM Dawn Patrol “Wake up Plano”
7:00 AM Balloon Launch
5:00 PM RE/MAX Parachute Team Exhibition
6:00 PM Balloon Launch
7:00 PM Festival Closes

Plano Balloon Festival Food

The list of food and drinks available for purchase from vendors at the Plano Balloon Festival include: Baked Potatoes, Iced Tea, Bratwurst on a Bun, Italian Sausage on a Bun, Texas Skillet Breakfast Burrito (cooked on a 6-foot skillet), Kettle Corn, Cake Balls, Mesquite Grilled Chicken Breasts, Cake Pops, Muffins, Chicken Tomatillo Tacos, Nachos, Chicken Wings, Pancakes, Chopped Beef Sandwich, Philly Cheese Steak, Cinnamon Roasted Nuts, Picadillo Tacos, Conway’s Corn Dogs, Pizza, Cotton Candy, Pretzels, Cuban Sandwich, Roasted Corn, Cupcakes, Sausage on a Stick, Curly Fries, Sausage Biscuits, Fresh Squeezed Lemonade, Skillet Potatoes, Fried Everything, Smoothies, Frito Pie, Snowcones, Fruit Cup, Spiral Cut Potatoes, Funnel Cakes, Steak Sandwich, Gelato, Sweet Potato Chips with Ancho Mayo, Hamburgers, Sweet Tea, Hot Dogs, Turkey Legs, Hot Link on a Bun, and Ice Cream.

Plano Balloon Festival attendees can bring blankets and chairs to sit and watch the balloon launches from the grassy viewing area. Although coolers are not prohibited at the festival, they are discouraged, since the non-profit organizations benefit from the sales made at the event.

The admission fee to the Plano Balloon Festival is $5 per person for one-time admission; $8 per person for a two-time admission; seniors over 65 get a $1 discount, and children under 36″ are free.

On site parking for the balloon festival is available at the Collin County Community College Spring Creek campus, Oak Point Recreation Center, and First United Methodist Church for $10 a car. Off site parking is available for $5 at the Plano Centre and Collin Creek Church.

For more information about this family oriented fun event, or to see current photos of balloons scheduled to participate this year and from past years, visit the official Plano Balloon Festival website at www.planoballoonfest.org or call 972-867-7566.

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I’ve been apartment hunting in Plano TX for my eldest son who is in the process of moving to Plano from Chicago within the next month or so. Since I live in Plano myself, I’m at an advantage in helping my son find an apartment in or near Plano that is nice, affordable and in a good location, and where he can live as close to me as possible. Plano Texas is, in my opinion, one of the nicest far north Dallas suburbs to live in, with Frisco Texas coming in at a close second.

In 2005, CNN Money magazine declared Plano Texas as the best place to live in the Western United States. In 2006, CNN Money selected Plano as the 11th best place to live in the entire U.S., with numerous industries and good-quality living, as well as excellent schools that consistently score in the top few of the nation.

As soon as my son told me he was planning to move back to Texas and wanted help in finding an apartment, I was beside myself with excitement and immediately started checking out apartments in Plano and surrounding areas (Richardson, Garland, Allen, McKinney etc) for a one-bedroom apartment that meets his rent criteria and location preferences.

When I agreed to help my son find an apartment that meets his specific criteria, he said the only thing that mattered to him was that I find him a “cheap” one-bedroom apartment that is nice and in a good location. No problem. Plano TX is a large city, with lots of variety when it comes to finding a cheap apartment or a more “expensive” luxury apartment in Plano, or an apartment that falls somewhere between cheap/inexpensive and expensive/luxurious.

Free move? I’ve heard about free move apartment locators in Plano and other cities offering a “free move” if you use their apartment finder locator service, and maybe they provide a great service, but I’m not yet convinced that it would a good option. I’m a bit leery of “reviews” on “move for free” websites because there’s no way for me to prove the positive reviews are legitimate and not conjured up by family and friends of the free move website owners, in order to present mostly positive comments vs. negative reviews or comments on the service provided to customers.

Plano Apartment For Rent

I picked up a copy of the apartment finders guide, called “Apartment Guide”, from a local convenience store and began earmarking pages of apartments in Plano to walk through as time permits, in order to narrow down the possibilities for my son to choose which apartment he likes best. Apartment Guide has a apartment locator website too, at apartment guide.com or aguide.com, where people can search for apartments online around the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex (and nationwide) and can see photos, floor plans, square footage, included amenities, rent prices, move-in specials, etc.

The Apartment Guide book is definitely helpful if you’re trying to find an apartment in Plano, but be careful. If you’re new to the area or are moving from another state and hoping to choose an apartment based upon the photos and information found in the book or on the apartment guide website, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment.

Apartment photos or videos of apartments don’t often tell the full story, and it doesn‘t matter if you‘re looking for an apartment in Plano TX or any other city or state. If I had a nickel for every crappy apartment in and around Plano that I’ve checked out for my son based upon the glorified photos, floor plans and rent prices shown in the guide book, I’d be a very rich woman right now.

Apartments in Plano TX

Apartment property listings of course use photos that present the apartment complex in the very best light in order to get people to consider renting their Plano apartment, despite the possibility/likelihood that the apartments are located in an area of town I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

I learned a long time ago not to trust what you see visually in any apartment locator book or brochure, and I’m not too keen on what I find on the online photos and videos either. Displaying beautifully decorated model apartments in an apartment locator or guide doesn’t even come close to showing what an actual apartment in Plano (or anywhere else) will truly look like for the renter.

If you’re trying to find an apartment in or around Plano, Frisco, Richardson, Allen, Dallas, McKinney or any other city, always ask/expect to be shown an actual apartment to be rented rather than the fancy decorated model apartments. Don’t be fooled by the photos and perfect picture settings – they’re meant to pull you in; or in my case trying to help my son find a reasonably priced apartment, the apartment photos and videos completely waste your time. If I’m not shown an actual apartment available for rent, as opposed to the models, I graciously say thanks but no thanks…, buh bye.

Fortunately, I did manage to find my son a few great Plano apartments to choose from, and an apartment complex representative in far Northwest Plano showed me the actual apartment my son would rent if he chose to, not some over-glorified model apartment. I called my son on the phone while walking through the apartment and told him everything about its location, rent amount, condition of the apartment and carpet etc, move-in specials, proximity to the pool and basketball court, as well as all the other included amenities.

As much as I’d like to think that he decided to apply for that particular apartment due to my hard work and zealous effort on his behalf, I’m positive he chose that Plano apartment simply because of it’s close proximity to the swimming pool and being able to see the bikini-clad beauties from his balcony window. Oh well, that’s okay; especially since the best part of it all (that he doesn’t know yet) is that his new apartment in Plano is only a 5-minute drive from my house.

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