Weather keeps balloons grounded in Hot Air Balloon Festival - FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather & Sports

Weather keeps balloons grounded in Hot Air Balloon Festival

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MIDDLETOWN, OH (FOX19) -

This is only the second time in 10 years that no champion was named in the MidUSA Ohio Challenge.

Competitions were not held during the three-day Hot Air Balloon Festival due to the weather conditions.

"It was a great weekend. Just not for hot air ballooning. We received some much needed rain, temperatures were pleasant, but we couldn't launch hot air balloons, said Maria Langendorf, chair of the MidUSA Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival. 

Conditions kept all 42 hot air balloons grounded. "Fortunately our event is more than just hot air.  Many of our guests now understand that balloons don't fly when the winds are high and there is much more than balloon launches to a hot air balloon event," said Langendorf.

The other events went on as planned with skydivers, balloon glows, fireworks and even helicopter rides. It is estimated that crowds were down about 25 percent from previous years.

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