Scotts Bluff County is flyover country. The term often uttered by outsiders as a derogatory jab at middle America is an aerial attribute for Western Nebraska.

The big sky canvas here includes Scotts Bluff rising 800 feet out of the meandering North Platte River Valley. In addition to the imposing bluff, landmark rocks named Sentinel, Eagle, Crown, Saddle and Dome tower over the communities of Scottsbluff and Gering, as well as Scotts Bluff National Monument. The Wildcat Hills escarpment forms the scoliotic backbone of the rugged region. Ruts from the California and Oregon trails lead through Mitchell Pass and through the American West. If only those early pioneers could have seen it from the air.

 Each August, pioneering hot air balloon pilots from across the U.S. set their sights skyward over Scotts Bluff County, home base of the Old West Balloon Fest. Crowds of more than 10,000 people show up for aerial affair.

The four-day event lifts off from Scottsbluff with an opening night balloon glow north of the Western Nebraska Community College main campus. Propane burners roar, flames shining through each balloon’s thin nylon skin to illuminate like lanterns against the darkening skies of early evening. The vessels stand taut and tethered. Balloon crews talk shop and answer questions from visitors as live music plays.

Thirty balloons are expected for the 2021 festival. The event shares air with the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship, a tradition here since 2019. Having the two events at the same time means as many as 80 boldly bright hot air balloons hovering over Scotts Bluff County during mass ascensions on Aug. 13 and 14.   

Longtime residents remember the cherished balloon rally that used to coincide with the Old West Weekend. Unfortunately, it deflated in 1988. Resident Becky Horne never forgot her childhood memories of seeing colorful hot air balloons floating almost motionless over her hometown of Scottsbluff.   

“The community always looked forward to that event all year long, and it seemed like everybody went to the launch site to watch,” Horne said. In 2013 she began planning the “Old West Balloon Fest – Re-inflated” with Brenda Leisy, director of tourism for Scotts Bluff County. Leisy wrote a succesful $16,000 grant and handed it to Karla Niedan-Streeks, director of tourism for the City of Gering, to use for marketing the event. Two hundred volunteers were recruited, and sponsors were found. The event launched in 2015.

The trio of organizers expected 3,000 balloon fans to descend on the festival. Some people said that number was sky high considering the previous balloon event sank more than a quarter of a century earlier.

When the burners ignited and balloons began filling, 12,000 people were waiting. The only hiccups were a minor traffic jam and a port-a-potty and toilet paper shortage.

Colleen Johnson was on a roll running balloon festivals in Colorado when she was hired as executive director. Balloonists simply call her the “balloonmeister.” Johnson fell in love with the area and moved from Colorado to Mitchell with her husband, Mike. He fell for her while volunteering on her balloon crew. The two clicked despite his aversion to elevation.  

“He won’t even get up on a ladder,” Johnson said. Still, she taught him to fly.  Many people with a fear of heights love flying in hot air balloons, she said, the subtle, soft movements of the lighter-than-air craft providing quiet, calm experiences.

“Sort of like flying with a big parachute over you. Now he’s a commercial balloon pilot, too, and gets to fly more than me,” Johnson said. “He’s been lucky enough to get the wind right and drift right over Scotts Bluff a couple times.”

The Federal Aviation Administration grounds Johnson during the Old West Balloon Fest, but the couple’s High Plains Hot Air Balloon Company takes to the skies when customers want aerial views of Nebraska’s western reaches. The air up there is popular for wedding proposals, anniversaries and photo safaris.

Sometimes the balloons touch down briefly with a “splash and dash” in the North Platte River before Johnson fires the burner, causing the craft to lift out over the valley. Customers’ reactions mirror those of the professional ballooners visiting for the U.S. Nationals.

“People can’t believe how beautiful the landscape is here in Western Nebraska, how far you can see, how the river winds through,” Johnson said. “We usually have that scenic view entirely to ourselves.”

The morning ascensions take place south of the river at Mitchell Airfield. Visitors begin arriving at 5:30 a.m. to see the festival balloons launch after sunrise. Then dozens of the competition balloons drift through the serene scene.

The U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship is a test of flying skill and accuracy. Pilots are assigned GPS coordinates for an aerial route and judged on their ability to follow it. The best pilots know just when to hit the burner intermittently or shut it off altogether. Other contests have them navigating to a single point in the sky. Wind can be an asset or adversary, either blowing balloons to or away from targets during the beanbag drop.

Pilots must first gain permission to launch from privately-owned land. Then, they guide their craft over targets marked with a large letter “X.” Some are in tight quarters or even in people’s backyards. Beanbags fall from the sky. The pilot who scores best on a series of challenging targets is the winner. Matt Fenster is a regular contender.

When not working as director of special education for Bellevue Public Schools, Fenster is flying a recognizable red, white and blue Re/Max real estate company balloon.

With his hot air balloon packed in a trailer, Fenster heads to Scotts Bluff County with only his crew chief along for the ride. Locals will make up the rest of the crew. “They know the roads and shortcuts and can get the chase vehicle to a landing site in a hurry,” Fenster said. He enjoys Western Nebraska’s spacious skies and lack of “red zones,” parcels off limits for takeoffs due to uncooperative landowners. “The community is always crazy excited when we are here,” Fenster said with a laugh.

There is no funny business during the actual competition, like the time he was flying in a state that shall remain nameless and saw people on the ground motioning for him to land. When he got close enough to see he was descending into a nudist colony, Fenster fired up the burner to gain elevation. He insists that ballooning is a safe social activity.

“With it being weather dependent, we probably spend more time sitting around getting to know each other than we actually do flying,” Fenster said. “One cool thing about Scotts Bluff County is that you can be flying in the river valley where it is nice and green like Eastern Nebraska and then lift out into the drier areas with the buttes. So drastically different but equally beautiful, with lots of room to fly.”

The lofty four-day festival drifts back to earth and wraps up with the final glow. Balloon fans spread out on blankets and chairs on native prairie surrounding Gering’s Five Rocks Amphitheater as the sun sinks behind Scotts Bluff. A slight breeze animates the balloons that would soar if not staked to the ground. Lines form at food trucks as dark sky stars compete with the balloons’ luminosity. Other vendors spotlight local wine and craft beer. Toasts ring out with plastic glasses.

Scottsbluff’s Flyover Brewing is one of the festival’s sponsors. The brewery with an aviation theme – the wing of a World War II cargo plane hangs over the bar – hosts a special tasting event for the balloon pilots.

“Yeah, it’s supposed to be a negative, but we chose to use ‘flyover’ in our name because we are proud of this part of Nebraska,” said brewery general manager Tera Olds. “The Old West Balloon Fest is just one of many events and attractions in Western Nebraska that make living in and visiting ‘flyover country’ a good thing.”