The annual Montague Balloon Fair got underway this morning with the first of three dawn ascensions. Folks gathered in the chilly, half-light of dawn to watch balloon pilots and crews inflate and then lift off. After enjoying the Elks’ breakfast at the launch site things wrapped up until tonight’s melodrama and BBQ chicken dinner.
The full schedule is posted below, and you can download our Montague Balloon Fair info guide as well as go to www.VisitSiskiyou.org to learn about other activities out in the Shasta Valley.
Friday Sept 19th
• Dawn Ascension of the Montague Balloon Fair Balloons
• 5:30 A.M. – 7:30 A.M. Coffee & Donuts Available at Launch Site- Provided by Shasta Valley Rotary
• 7 A.M. – 11 A.M. Breakfast available at Launch Site- Provided by the Elks
• 6:30 P.M. Melodrama & BBQ Chicken Dinner at the Montague Community Hall hosted by the Scott Valley Rotary $25 person/ $22 in advance (530) 467-5346 for tickets
Saturday Sept 20th
• Dawn Ascension of the Montague Balloon Fair Balloons
• 5:30 A.M. – 7:30 A.M. Coffee & Donuts Available at the Launch Site- Provided by Shasta Valley Rotary
• 6 A.M. Yreka Western RR arrives with spectators Contact YWRR for fares and departure time 842-4146
• 7 A.M. – 11 A.m. Breakfast Available at Launch Site- Provided by the Elks
• 9 A.M. – 2 P.M. Farmers & Crafters Market Railroad Park Downtown Montague
• 11 A.M.- 2 P.M. BBQ Burgers available for sale at RR Park
• 12:30 P.M. Parade in downtown Montague presented by the Montague Merchants
• 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Children’s Concert by the Wild Roots at RR Park Sponsored by Montague FRC
• 4:30 P.M. BBQ Sirloin Dinner at Launch Site presented by the Shasta Valley Rotary Club. Tickets: $15 for Adults, $8 kids 5 – 12 yrs, Under 5 yrs free
• Dusk - Balloonists Night Glow at Launch Site (Weather Permitting)
• 7 PM- 10 PM Dance at Montague Community Hall featuring Wild Blues Yonder Sponsored by Shepherd’s Dream
Sunday Sept 21st
• Final Dawn Ascension of the 2008 Montague Balloon Fair
• 5:30 A.M. – 7:30 A.M. Coffee & Donuts Available at Launch Site – Provided by Shasta Valley Rotary
• 7 A.M. – 11 A.M. Breakfast Available at Launch Sit- Provided by the Elks
Public parking for the Balloon Fair is managed by the AAUW and is their major fundraiser of the year. Although parking is free, donations are gratefully accepted.
It’s out, it’s out, it’s out – the schedule for the 2008 Mt. Shasta International Film Festival is out in local stores and on the website at www.shastafilmfest.com. Check it out and get your tickets for the October 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Festival that features documentaries and independent features films from around the world. Festival organizer Jeffery Winters sorts through over 200 films to bring this hand-picked selection of films that fulfills his vision.
Along with three days of movies, the annual opening Gala Party will be held Thursday, October 9th at the Mt. Shasta Community Center where folks can get a chance to hear about films and chat with the film makers. Then, on Sunday, October 12th from 10am to 2pm you can join in the film making seminar with filmmaker Jerry Alden Deal for a behind the scenes look at “Dream Awake”, a film that he wrote, shot and edited in the Mt. Shasta area.
For a full list of the Festival’s films, visit the website at www.shastafilmfest.com where you can download a pdf of the program, or look for it in area stores.
Be sure to check this out soon, as tickets sell out early. You can order tickets by calling the Film Festival office or locally at Village Books. Tickets are $10, with a discount offered for every 5 tickets purchased at one time, 5 movies for $45.00, 10 movies for $90.00, and 15 movies for $135.
For those coming from out of the area, you can find loding and dining info at our website www.visitsiskiyou.org.
I just learned about John Soares’ www.northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com – a great resource for those looking to hike in Siskiyou County and the rest of Northern California. The website encourages viewers to purchase his books, and it also include his blog, where you can read about recent adventures and seasonal hiking options. Scroll down through recent posts to his entry on fall hiking to Seven Lakes Basin, just over the divide to the west of Mt. Shasta. You can read a description of this hike, which is also a very nice, easy overnight backpacking trip for those in the Mt. Shasta area.
You’ll find trip reports from the region – including hiking at Lassen Volcanic National Park and rafting on the Klamath River. Read about other local adventurers, like mountain climber and former multi-sport racer Laurie Bagley. John recently posted photos of folks enjoy the McCloud River Waterfalls this summer as well as photos from the Squaw Valley Creek trail outside of McCloud. You’ll find links to descriptions of those trails too. You can sort through hiking and backpacking tips and other categories of outdoor related information that will certainly add to the quality of your outings.
This is a great resource for anyone looking to get out on the trails with a bit more information and local insight. Enjoy!
Check out Jim Gilmore’s post on the Jefferson Agrarian about the coming show at Liberty Arts in Yreka that features Finley Fryer and William Wareham. The show, titled “Inside Out”, opens with a reception for the artists this Friday, September 12, from 5:30-8pm, and will run through October 4th.
Fryer works out of a studio in Dunsmuir that is rarely open, so this is a great opportunity to see his works. He has become well-known for his huge structures that have been installed at Burning Man, and more locally, at the Siskiyou County Fair a few years back.
Wareham is a recent transplant to Siskiyou County, with a host of painted steel sculputures.
Enough from me, read Jim’s introduction of these two artists and then head on up to Yreka to Liberty Arts Gallery at 108 W. Miner St., Yreka, CA. Gallery hours are Wed thru Sat, 10am-5pm.
Rural culture | Visit Siskiyou Staff September 19, 2008 | 
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