SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Event organizers of The Great Reno Balloon Race, scheduled for Sept. 10-12 at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, have put together some helpful tips to ensure that all spectators have a wonderful weekend at the race. Tips include important information on transportation to the event, where to park, what to wear and other dos and don’ts:
· Admission is free, but be sure to bring money for tethered rides, souvenirs or food and drink from a variety of vendors, including a VIP breakfast catered by High Pointe Catering.
· Dress in layers; September in northern Nevada tends to bring chilly mornings.
· Weather information is available at www.kkoh.com or News Talk 780.
· Arrive early on Saturday and Sunday, in time to watch the Glow Show at 5 a.m. and to get VIP seating for a $5 donation or prime blanket area for free.
· Please leave your pets at home. The abundance of people along with strange noises and surroundings can make animals anxious and confused.
· Smoking is always prohibited on the launch field.
· Don’t forget your camera so you can catch every moment of this spectacular event.
· Please remember to recycle while at the event. You’ll not only be keeping our community clean but you’ll also be helping out the NorthStar District Boy Scouts Troup #168, who will use the recycling as a fundraiser. The more you recycle the more money they’ll raise.
· Visit the kids’ play area on Balloon Boulevard, the vendor area, after Mass Ascension.
· Stay in your pajamas on Saturday, Sept. 11, for The World’s Largest Pajama Party. Come in your best (or worst) bed-head to enter in the Bed-Head Competition. Judging starts at 8 a.m. at the Pajama Party tent.
Transportation/parking tips
· There is a limited amount of parking at the event so be sure to arrive early. Free parking is available at the university’s north lots, but all cars must be removed by 10 a.m. Parking is also available at North Sierra Street and McCarran Boulevard or the Coleman Street parking lot for a $5 donation to the Reno South Rotary Club children’s charities. Parking is prohibited along McCarran Boulevard, and violators will be towed.
· Transportation to and from the event is provided by RTC RIDE, which offers direct, nonstop service to the entrance of the park on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 11 and 12, from 4 to 10 a.m. Each of the three stops–in downtown Reno, Reed High School in Sparks and the Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority Convention Center on South Virginia–are serviced every 30 minutes. Round trip fares are $5 for adults and $2.50 for youth (ages 6 to 18) and seniors/disabled. For more information call (775) 348-RIDE.
· Handicap parking is available at the Washington Street entrance to the park for those with a handicapped placard or license plate.
· If you’d rather ride your bike to the event, you can leave it with the bike valet at the Washington Street entrance for a donation to the Reno Bike Project.
For a full schedule of events and more information about this year’s event, please visit www.renoballoon.com or call the Great Reno Balloon Race hotline at (775) 826-1181.
Thanks to the continued support of generous sponsors, The Great Reno Balloon Race continues as a free event for its 29th year. This year’s major sponsors include Wells Fargo Bank, Wilbur D. May Foundation, Silver Legacy Resort Casino, Peppermill Hotel Casino, Harrah’s Reno, City of Reno, Jack in the Box, Great Basin Internet Services, News Talk 780 KOH, Bonanza Casino and Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority. With a special thanks to our Founding Sponsors: Circus Circus, IGT, Sands Regency Casino Hotel, Muckel Anderson CPAs and the University of Nevada, Reno.
