We will be posting photos and updates throughout the week, so if you aren't fortunate enough to be able to join us in Lakeland (or if you just can't stay for the whole time) then stay tuned for more!

Of course, there was the traditional champaign toast after landing. Here's an interesting bit of history you may not have known... the tradition of having champaign after a balloon flight dates all the way back to the sport's beginnings in 17th century France. Early balloonists, like those today, never knew where they would land until they got there. After a few incidents of irate, scared (and often superstitious) farmers and villagers coming out with pitchforks, torches, and who knows what else trying to attack these strange invaders from the heavens, the aeronauts hit upon the idea of bringing bottles of wine on each flight both to serve as a "peace offering" as well as to demonstrate that they were not extraterrestrials from another planet, but rather Monseur Pierre from the next village down the road. This helped the situation immensely (not to mention probably helped to induce folks to lend a hand in helping to gather up the balloon). Even though most people nowadays think it's really neat and exciting to have a balloon land in their field, and the welcoming committee is generally armed with sandwiches and picture phones rather than sharpened farm implements, the champaign toast at the conclusion of a successful flight remains an important ballooning tradition!