A hot air balloon festival at the end of May will kick off a highly anticipated summer at Echo Dale Regional Park.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Echo Dale Lake will open in late May in conjunction with a new hot air balloon festival that will set up in the eastern field of the facility near Medicine Hat.
It’s the start of a busy summer at the regional park that includes new camping spaces as well as a reforestation program and irrigation work.
City officials announced Tuesday the lake will be full and open for swimming on Saturday, May 28.
The “Rise-Up” hot air balloon festival dates are also set for May 26-29, and original plans promised an evening exhibition of the air crafts lit from within on the eastern plain of the park.
That is planned for the Saturday, along with daily early morning and later day fly overs of the city throughout the weekend, starting Thursday, said organizer Willy Taillon.
“We’re all on track and now it’s up to mother nature,” said Taillon, a Hatter who owns and operates a balloon for personal use along with his with Cindy.
“On the Saturday night, where planning to have them tethered to the ground and illuminate them for when the sun is going down. People can walk around and have a really beautiful experience.”
The festival received a City Vibrancy Grant worth $15,000 toward hosting balloon operators from across Western Canada. Currently 16 are confirmed, while Taillon has also partnered with Our Collective Journey, a group in town that received provincial grants to increase awareness of mental health issues.
“Rise Up has a couple different meanings,” said Taillon, noting the obvious nod to flight. “People who’ve been struggling can rise up as well.”
More information can be found at the website riseupmh.ca.
The park itself will see improvements continue throughout the summer, but the lake will be filled at the earliest date in years next week.
“There is so much to explore throughout the park, from the swimming lake to the new trails that connect the park and Gas City Campground,” said parks and recreation director James Will in a city release.
On the same day, May 28, Echo Dale Farm will open to the public, and later this spring the fishing lake will be stocked with about 1,800 rainbow trout.
Treeplanting is moving ahead thanks to grants from the provincial and federal governments, which also saw trailway developed last year.
The city also used grant money to expand the number of gravelled, unserviced lots at the eastern edge, a facility that has been open for some years and available for group camping and family reunions.
A new concession operator will be set up within the swim centre which is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily when the temperature is above 15C.
