Balloons Over Morgantown returns for a third year

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - “5,000 feet of air up there, and right now it’s 145 degrees. Good morning beautiful day in Morgantown,” Captain Mark Woodard said.

Captain Woodard and many others took off at 8 a.m. Friday morning to celebrate balloons over Morgantown.

Balloons Over Morgantown is an event where hot air balloons gather and take flight over the beautiful hills of Mountaineer Country.

“It’s a disease, it’s a blast, you know just all the smiles it makes, that’s what I love. You land somewhere, and you give rides to Tyler and these other folks and just bring smiles to everyone’s faces. I love that,” Captain Woodard said.

Carpe Diem is the name of the balloon Captain Woodard flies, and he does rides so people can see the magic behind the phrase “Seize the Day.”

“Some of them are real nervous before they get going, but after they get going, it’s just so beautiful,” Captain Woodard said.

“Once we were in the air, it was amazing. It was a smooth ride and the pilot was awesome. We had lots of memories made and lots of fun,” said Erica Baker, a balloon rider.

“I had lots of fun. That was my first time going on a balloon ride in an actual hot air balloon,” said Alexa Baker, another balloon rider.

The balloons will be launching through Sunday, Oct. 2nd, and watchers are encouraged to chase the balloons to see where they land.

You can click HERE for more information on future launches.

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