High Flying Fun: Alabama Jubilee represents a return to normal
Walking beneath dozens of towering 50-foot-tall hot air balloons transported Clay Turner to another world.
“The first time I went to Alabama Jubilee, it was amazing. Being there amongst all the balloons is a feeling of being in another place. It was like the land of giants,” Turner, balloonmeister of the Alabama Jubilee, said.
Dozens of multicolored hot air balloons, each about seven stories tall and weighing 600 pounds, will return to Point Mallard Park on Memorial Day weekend to paint the sky — Mother Nature permitting — with reds, blues, yellows, oranges, pinks and greens.
For North Alabama, the Alabama Jubilee represents a return to normal.
“Everyone is so excited that it is coming back this year. We missed it last year so much. People are ready to get back to their normal way of life and, in Decatur, that means hot air balloons on Memorial Day weekend,” said Ramona Evans, Alabama Jubilee president.
Organizers estimated hot air balloon pilots from more than a dozen states will attend the two-day festival at Point Mallard Park, which coincides with the opening of the Point Mallard Aquatic Center and marks the unofficial beginning of summer.
If the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival in Foley serves as any indication, the Jubilee should expect tens of thousands of spectators.
“Foley’s balloon rally was held about two weeks ago. If it is any type of barometer to determine what the crowd is going to be like in Decatur, then it’s going to be a massive turnout,” Evans said.
Highlights of the festival include the early morning Hare and Hound Race on Saturday and the key grab on Sunday, afternoon tethered flights and fireworks on Sunday night.
Evans credited the event’s success to the family-friendly atmosphere, the variety of activities, from the children’s stations to the antique tractor display to the arts and crafts show, and to the intimate setting.
“The balloons are gorgeous and it’s a family-friendly event. We have people who have had their family reunions at the Jubilee for years. It’s just a great kickoff for summer,” Evans said.
Decatur’s first balloon rally in 1978 attracted 17 balloonists from Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana. The celebration earned Decatur the “Ballooning Capital of Alabama” moniker from the state Legislature.
2021 Alabama Jubilee Schedule
All Events at Point Mallard Park
Aviation events are dependent on weather. Cancellations may occur.
Saturday, May 28
6:00 a.m. – Pilot Briefing – Stage
6:30 a.m. – Hound and Hare Balloon Race
7:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Registration for Songs of Liberty Bike Show, next to T.C. Almon Rec Center
8:00 a.m. – 12 noon – Registration for Alabama Jubilee Auto Expo, behind Spirit of America Stage
12:30 p.m. – Prize awards begin for Alabama Jubilee Auto Expo
3:00 p.m. – Alabama Jubilee Auto Expo ends
5:00 – Pilot Briefing – Stage
5:15-6:45 –
5:30 p.m. – Balloon Fun Flight
7:00 p.m. – Sons of Liberty Bike Show closes
7:00 – 10:00 p.m. – Entertainment with JedEye
8:15 p.m. – Balloon Glow
Southland Flywheelers Tractors Show
located near T.C. Almon Recreation Center
8:00 – Display area opens to the public
10:00 a.m. – Tractor Parade of Power (around the Jubilee Field)
11:00 a.m. – Tractor Games
11:00 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Pedal Tractor Park (6 years old and under)
2:00 p.m. – Pedal Tractor Park (6 years old and under)
Pedal Tractor Park Open to Public All Day – No Charge
Hands-On Historical Tool Area Open to the Public All Day – No Charge
Decatur Art Guild
Arts and Crafts Show
7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Point Mallard Pavilion (old ice rink)
Sunday, May 29
6:00 a.m. – Pilot Briefing – Stage
6:30 a.m. – Lynn Layton Chevrolet Key Grab Balloon Race
7:00 a.m. – Balloons begin arriving on field
9:00 a.m. – Sons of Liberty Bike Show opens, next to T.C. Almon Rec Center
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Karaoke with DJ Jammin Jeff and WZYP’s Steve Smith
5:00 p.m. – Pilot Briefing – Stage
5:30 p.m. – Balloon Fun Flight
6:00 p.m. – Sons of Liberty Bike Show closes
6:00 – 6:50 p.m. –
6:30 p.m. – Balloon tethers
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – Entertainment with Four on the Floor and Nashville recording artist John King
9:30 p.m. – Alabama Jubilee Fireworks Spectacular by Pyro Shows
Decatur Art Guild
Arts and Crafts Show
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Point Mallard Pavilion (old ice rink)
Want to crew for a hot air balloon? Just report to the stage at the beginning of each pilot briefing. Ages 18 and up only, please. At the end of each briefing, the balloonmeister will call for pilots needing crew to come to the stage to meet volunteer crew people.
