RISE 2023 Hot Air Balloon Festival

2^nd Annual RISE 2023 Hot Air Balloon Festival will be September 22^nd, 23^rd, 24^th 
July 5, 2023
 
Executive Director: Catherine Jorns, catherine@risenonprofit.com  (601) 297-2026
 
2^nd Annual RISE 2023 Hot Air Balloon Festival set for September 22^nd, 23^rd, & 24^th
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Hattiesburg, MS (July 5, 2023) RISE is a faith-based, non-profit from Hattiesburg, Mississippi having its second Hot Air Balloon Festival on September 22-24, 2023, as a fundraiser and a community building event. * This event will be held at the Forrest County Multi-Purpose Center with a Kats Kid’s Korner, Artist’s Exhibit, Food Trucks, Vendor Booths, Live Entertainment, and much more!  *Opening ceremonies will be on Friday the 22^nd beginning at 6pm. This will be our Patriotic Ceremony, honoring our Military, First Responders and Veterans.  Friday night will include an Air Show by Tiger Trax, a Balloon Glow (Weather Permitting), live music, food trucks and more!   Inside the Forrest County Multi-Purpose Center on Friday night, you will find over 120 Vendors and the Art Auction from 6-9pm.  *On Saturday the 23^rd, keep your eyes on the skies, as the ballooners will be taking off at dawn to fly around Hattiesburg, weather permitting! During that day, while the balloons are hiding, you can still have plenty to do at the RISE 2023 Hot Air Balloon Festival.  Saturday the 23^rd beginning at 9AM-9PM inside the Multi-Purpose Center it will be super busy with all of the Indoor Vendors and Live Entertainment.  On the Balloon Field you can visit Kat’s Kid’s Korner and eat some of the delicious food from our amazing Food Vendors.  They are ready for a big crowd all day.  Saturday night will be another amazing show.  Skydivers and another awesome Balloon Glow, weather permitting, live entertainment and much more.  * Weather permitting on Sunday the 24^th RISE will begin at dawn with another opportunity to chase Hot Air Balloons through our community.  You can come out and watch the ballooners get their balloons ready for take-off, weather permitting.  Then at 9AM on Sunday the Multi-Purpose Center will open with the Inside Vendors ready for business.  On the Balloon Field, Sunday 10AM we will be hosting a community wide worship service which will be followed by a Gospel Sing 1-5PM to close the festival.   We will have Inside Vendors, Food Vendors, Kats Kid’s Korner, Art Exhibit and so much more to do at this Fun Family Friendly Festival please come and be part of the experience, let’s RISE Together.  * There is much more information on our website risenonprofit.org with buttons to apply for being a Vendor, Sponsor, or Artist Exhibitor. We have a list of our sponsors and for out-of-state guests who are coming to the Balloon Festival there are hotels listed who are giving great discounts for that Festival weekend.
 
Here is a quick look at some festival details & schedule:
Admission, Traffic & Parking:
Admission is $1.00 per person/per day OR One Can of Food per person/per day.
Parking inside the Forrest Co. Multi-Purpose Center gate will be $5.00 per car per entry.
Free Parking may be obtained at the Woodall Center on Sullivan Drive.
Friday, September 22, 6pm - 9pm: Military Flag Ceremony, Air Show, Balloon Glow (Weather Permitting), Tethered Rides (Weather Permitting), First Responders Vehicles, Kats Kid’s Korner, Live Entertainment, Art Exhibit, Inside Vendors and Food Trucks.
 
Saturday & Sunday, September 23 & 24, 6:30am – 7am: Balloon Rising (Weather Permitting),
Saturday, September 23, 9am 9pm:  Inside Vendors, Balloon Demonstrations, Kats Kid’s Korner, Art Exhibit, Food Trucks, and Live Entertainment throughout the day,
Saturday, September 23, 6pm – 9pm: Skydivers, Balloon Glow (Weather Permitting), Tethered Rides (Weather Permitting), First Responders Vehicles, Kats Kid’s Korner, Live Entertainment, Art Exhibit, Inside Vendors and Food Trucks. Tethered Rides (Weather Permitting)
Sunday, September 24, 9am – 5pm:  Inside Vendors, Balloon Demonstrations, Kats Kid’s Korner, Art Exhibit, Food Trucks, and Gospel Sing. 
 
 
For more information as it happens, follow us on Facebook and Instagram as well as checking our website for more updates.
 
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About RISE: The mission of RISE is to Educate, Encourage, and Empower women and men to RISE to self-sufficiency. RISE, formerly known as Pinebelt Christian Women’s Job Corp, began in 2001 and became a 501c3 in 2011. The purpose is to break the cycle of poverty through education, relational empowerment, career skills, and job training. We believe that if we teach career skills and how to become financially stable, we will not only help one person but also their children, family members, and the entire community. RISE is a “hand up” not a “hand out” program. We invest one full year into each participant, which includes free classes they are required to attend to graduate and a mentorship program. At RISE our number one goal is their success.
 
In order to achieve these goals, we partner with fellow nonprofit agencies and rely on our generous and dedicated volunteers. We feel that as a community we can come together, share resources, information, opportunities, and skills to help everyone RISE to success. Through working together, our community can become stronger! #RISEtogether