Moonglow and the Horse & Tack Expo
DuckyGirl is fencing with a cold this weekend, so the only part of the Adirondack Balloon Festival we managed to take in was the Friday night Moon Glow up in Lake George. We ate at home before leaving, so by the time we found parking and enough quarters to feed the meter we were exactly on time for the scheduled start. Usually, that would be perfect. The past few years we’ve arrived early, only to stand around in damp September air for an extended period, wondering whether the event had been canceled. For some reason, this year, they started about 10 minutes early. So, we missed seeing the balloons fill up, but it was still beautiful and the fireworks afterward were a lot of fun.
DuckyGirl review: “Cool!”
I was really hoping that we could see the 5pm launch on Saturday, but nap time lasted until almost 4, and that’s not nearly enough time to make it to Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport with the amount of traffic that the festival generates. I know from experience that even 2 hours is cutting it close.
DuckyGirl wasn’t disappointed, though, because we had spent Saturday morning at the Saratoga Horse & Tack Expo, an awareness and fundraising event for the New York Horse Park. I was a fairly serious horse person in a former life, and for me the expo was a little light on the horse and tack. The presentations that I did go to were Guy McLean and a Roman riding demonstration. They were worthwhile and informative, but I would have enjoyed seeing more from the local equestrian scene. It would have been so great if there had been booths from some of the local lesson barns.
On the other hand, DuckyGirl had an absolute blast. The first thing she did was a really clever make your own stick horse activity (note to self: steal this for future birthday parties), and this was followed by unlimited bouncy-castle time. By the time she was handed a free balloon and sticker, it was painting the lily. All for a $5 admission price. They really undersold the kid’s entertainment potential.
DuckyGirl Review: “I got so many surprises!”