Hot air balloons brighten the sky and boom businesses

Thomas Akins the manager at Lamberts Cafe talks about the wide range of tourists he gets to meet from local events like the balloon festival.

“We had a lot last year, but we ended up about doing 25 hundred people which was about a thousand over our previous years.”

Atkins also states that the festival brings in consumers from all over the country.

“People from Idaho I think I talked to earlier today so yeah all over the country I think they are coming in from.”

Samer Patel the Director of Operations at the Best Western Plus mentions how after just one year of the word getting out more clients are starting to come stay.

“Last year we did have a little bit of interest, it was the first one, it was a good crowd, but we weren’t completely sold out. This year we have been pretty much sold out over the books for about over a month now. I’m telling you we are slammed pack this weekend and then I’ve seen the same for other hotels in the area too. I’ve seen more and more cars in parking lots, and I am very good friends with other managers like the Comfort Suites in town, the Drury Inn on the ways down and they tell me they are either almost sold out or they already are sold out too.”

Samer also mentions not only do businesses boom from events like this one but how it can bring families together to kick off the summer.

“I have been seeing these families coming together to help vendors a lot and I think that’s really cool.”