INDIANOLA, Iowa —
Let's give you a moment of tranquility in the air with beautiful hot air balloons, because you have a chance to see them Thursday night while enjoying the unique stores of Indianola.
The Sky Parade is about more than balloons, though. It's a chance to support local businesses and of course, see a traditional parade around the town square.
Don't worry about construction in the area. You can still get to all the shops.
"So it's just not really parade-friendly. We obviously can get to the businesses and that sort of thing," said National Balloon Classic Executive Director Staci Scheurenbrand. "But it's just a little bit tougher to get around the square. So we decided we love to do everything in the air."
Balloons will fly over the square around 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
"Come to Indianola and look up to see the beautiful skies. But we also have so much here to offer," Kamie Haynes, owner of Lula Belle Designs, said. "Lots of great businesses, new businesses have popped up in town and we are becoming a destination here in Indianola."
There will also be live music and drink specials for visitors.
"We're just so thrilled to be back and we want to get together and celebrate as a community," Scheurenbrand said. "We want to invite everyone to our party to do that. So we're gonna have a sky parade."
Looking ahead to the National Balloon Classic (July 30-Aug. 7), organizers say they already have a record number of registered pilots for the event with some of the best of the best pilots coming from all over the country.