Local tourism officials highlighted Old West Balloon Fest, which will mark its 10th year, during a National Tourism Week event Thursday. The Salute to Tourism event, held at the Gering Civic Center, has featured a presentation on a local event or activity that contributes to tourism annually. The work of local tourism officials, Scotts Bluff County Tourism Director Brenda Leisy and Gering Tourism Director Karla Niedan-Streeks, has helped Old West Balloon Fest Director Colleen Johnson keep the revitalized event going strong.
Leisy, at times getting choked up as she talked about her memories of the event, described the day that the balloon fest returned in 2015, dubbed “Balloon Fest ...
ReInflated.” Nostalgia and memories of Old West Balloon Fests, once held in Scottsbluff, resulted in local tourism officials and volunteers bringing back the event. As Leisy looked at a picture from that event, taken from a balloon over the Mitchell Air Field of a cluster of other balloons and people, she said she is filled with memories, such as the hundreds of people who gathered for the event, activities and even being so tired she slept on a card table.
The popularity of the event “was unbelievable to me,” she said. “I stood in the middle of that field, with just utter amazement about how incredible this was. And, I just kept thinking to myself, ‘What a beautiful mess.
’” According to Leisy, the event officially became the largest tourism event ever held in Scotts Bluff County.