I’ve been a bit quiet here this weekend because it is the annual Lowell Folk Festival held in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is a free three-day festival held each July. The downtown area is closed to vehicular traffic to allow acts to perform on five different stages located around the area. It features performers from various regions of the US and around the world. The festival kicks off with a parade of nations. People from various countries carry in their nation’s flag. Here are a few images. If you shout out the name of the country as it passes, then the group from that country gets very animated making for a better image and a more lively experience. The older gentleman carrying the flag of Portugal walked right up to me and asked me to take a photo of him with his flag.

I’ve been fortunate to attend a couple of hot air balloon festivals. If you haven’t been to one or seen a hot air balloon set up for a flight, it’s quite a process, as these images demonstrate. Balloons are mobile and often carried in or on the back of a van or truck. The whole thing is unpacked. The burner used to heat the air needs to be attached to the basket. Then a large fan with a gasoline motor blows air into the envelope (the balloon itself). ONece there is enough air in the envelope, the burner is lit and begins to heat the air. The balloon slowly goes from lying on the ground to verticle. Finally, hop in and away you go. Oh yeah, this group had to notify a local airbase so that they did not cause any alarm or conflict with flight plans.