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The Great Texas Balloon Race

June 28th, 2010

There are a lot of neat events taking place all around East Texas and unfortunately Tyler cannot play host to all of them. While we’ve had our share of notable events and attractions this summer, we also share the spot light with the surrounding communities. From the Texas Shakespeare Festival held in Kilgore, to the Jacksonville Tomato Festival, the Piney Woods region of Texas is certainly full of activity.

Every year our sister city and sometimes genial rival Longview, holds an exciting and unique event called the called the Great Texas Balloon Race. Evidently the tradition first began in 1978 to mark the opening of the Longview Mall and has been held annually ever since. In 1985 the Governor of Texas, designated Longview, the balloon capital of Texas. Every year there is a series of events and attractions surrounding the race that help make it the huge event that it is and brings in visitors from all over the country. One very popular event is the Friday night balloon glow. Evidently balloons of all shapes and sizes are lit up, and put into the air. Ok, so I’m sure I’m not doing the event any of its due credit with this oh so vivid description, but it’s supposed to be really beautiful to watch. The fact that so many come to see the process tells me it must be quite the spectacle. Another oddity taking place this year is the Cluster Balloon flight. A pilot will be lifted into the air on a group of helium filled balloons. Why does this event interest me? And no, that’s not a rhetorical question, I’m really not sure. I think it has something to do with the Curious George story where George is whisked into the air by a bundle of helium balloons. Of course I have a number of personal hang-ups and or eccentricities that I suspect stem from my love of those books.

The Great Texas Balloon Race will be held at the East Texas Regional Airport in Longview, and covers three days, July thirtieth, thirty first, and the first of August. Concerts will be held the first two nights (Friday and Saturday), and the whole event ends Sunday evening. Advance tickets are twelve dollars, fifteen at the gate. Children under twelve are admitted free and admission is free for everyone all day Sunday. For more information on various events, or for a schedule and other info visit the website at http://greattexasballoonrace.com . It might not be happening in Tyler, but it promises to be a lot of fun!

Annual Shakespeare Festival in Kilgore Texas

June 4th, 2010

A couple of weeks ago I posted an article on cultural events taking place in the Tyler area this summer. One such event that I would be remiss to forget is the annual Texas Shakespeare Festival (TSF) held at Kilgore College. The TSF is largely a company of professional actors as well as some drama students. While its summer performances are held at Van Cliburn auditorium every year, the festival which began in 1986 is technically independent from Kilgore College. However the school is a generous supporter of the event by not only providing a venue for the performances but also temporary room and board for the actors. The Texas Shakespeare Festival also receives numerous grants from the City of Kilgore, as well as many private businesses and corporations.

This summer the festival is entering its twenty fifth season. Over the past generation, the company has performed more than thirty of Shakespeare’s classic plays. But this company is about more than just Shakespearian dramas, (as if that weren’t enough). They have also performed other classics like Cyrano de Bergerac, She Stoops to Conquer, The Glass Menagerie, Amadeus, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Monkey King, and many, many others. This summer the company will be performing the Bard’s classic plays: As You Like It, and Two Gentlemen of Verona. They will also be performing several additional Plays including: The Learned Ladies, by Molière, Two by Two Music, by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Martin Charnin, and The Tortoise and the Hare, (based on a version entitled the Great Cross Country Race), by Alan Broadhurst. All features will be playing throughout the months of July and the beginning of August. For times and prices visit the Texas Shakespeare Festival website at www.texasshakespeare.com.

Shakespeare’s works, and plays in general are among the few things I’d rather watch than read, since they were written for that purpose. This great summer event is a tremendous opportunity for young people in particular, to begin to cultivate a love of literature and of learning. It has certainly helped to enrich our area and has developed a greater interest in the arts. Admittedly the festival is a few minutes outside Tyler, but it is well worth the small time investment required to head a little north for the day and take in a cultural and educational experience. For those interested in  other activities or events happening around Tyler and East Texas this summer look for my recent posts entitled, Summer Activities in the Tyler Area, and Cultural Events and Institutions in Tyler TX. For more information on Kilgore College, go to www.kilgore.edu.