Up, Up, and Away

One of the events that popped up in my Facebook feed was Summer Fun in the Park -- Flight Night. It was going to be at Darboy Community Park which is down the road from me and it would feature hot air balloons. It was August 10 when the hubby was in Massachusetts. I really wanted to check it out. Danielle said she was interested and we decided to go together.

Parking was a little bit of a nightmare. People were parked on all the side roads near the park. We tried to park down a side street and gave up. I got the brilliant idea of parking at the school and walking over. That’s where I parked for the chicken chase last year. Hardly anyone was parked at the school and it was a nice easy walk on the bike path to the park.

When we got to the park, I expected to see the hot air balloons inflated and people wandering around looking at them. It said it went from 5-7:30. We got there about 6 and none of the hot air balloons were inflated. There were some kid’s activities going on such as bouncy houses and a barrel train.

We found a spot under a shady tree…okay more like under the shadow of a small tree but it at least it was in the shade. We couldn’t have been there more than 15-20 minutes when they started to inflate the balloons. The balloons took about at least 15-20 minutes to inflate. It was a cool process to watch. I didn’t realize it took so long or how many people were involved on getting a balloon off the ground.

Once the balloon was inflated it lifted off. It took a little while to get all four balloons in the sky but they all were aloft before 7:00 PM. I am not sure if they were going to land back at Darboy Community Park or USA Sports Complex, another spot for balloonists. We didn’t stick around to find out.

It was a fun evening. I am glad we didn’t decide to get there right at 5. We probably would have left thinking this thing was a bust. Now one day, I will have to experience a hot air balloon ride.

Darboy Chicken Chase

Danielle had come up with this idea of doing a 5k in March, April, May, June, September, October, and November. We’d skip the really hot and really cold months. I struggled to find a decent 5k for June and signed up for the Chicken Chase in Darboy as part of the Darboy Chicken Fest. Danielle, due to unforeseen circumstances, couldn’t do it with me.

We really did chase a chicken....

I knew I was in trouble when I picked up my bib on Thursday and was given 26. The numbers for people just register started at 185. When I do 5ks, I have 2 goals: Finish in under an hour and never come in last. With only 200 or so people doing it, I knew that coming in last was a possibility if I didn’t actually run some of it. I am not a runner. I hate running. However, I couldn’t come in last and decided I had to run as much as I could.

Race day was a warm morning. I forgot my water. Luckily I had a half bottle in my car. I couldn’t get to the park the way I normally because it was blocked off for the race. Good thing I kind of knew how to get there another way. I didn’t know anyone but I didn’t have to wait around all that long before the race. I just didn’t want to do run the Chicken Chase. I wasn’t into it.

I so don't want to do this

You’d think I’d done horribly if I didn’t want to do it but it motivated me to get done so I could just go home. I didn’t end up last but I was at the back of the pack. It was nice to have caring spectators along the route who handed out extra water and had sprinklers going. It really helped.

Officially I did the Chicken Chase in 43:54. I was happy with my time, especially as it was new personal best. I got my cookie and went home. I even got done before the hubby called telling me he was done with his baseball games. Next year, I will find a different race in June. I’m not all about the Chicken Chase.

Checking out Chicken Fest

We technically don’t live in Darboy USA but we live close enough to say we are in Darboy. For some, Darboy, nothing more than an unincorporated land area outside of Appleton, has Chicken Fest. Like any small Wisconsin town, this is their annual festival. It is held in the small community park down the road from us. Being a sucker for small town festivals, I wanted to go… the hubby not so much.

This year I wanted to get my stuff for the Chicken Chase and managed to convince Danielle to come along with me. She brought the boys along. I wasn’t planning on doing much other than getting my packet and wander for a bit. But when you bring kids to a festival, you get to experience the festival a little more.
While I got my race packet, Danielle and the boys ate hot dogs. Everything at Chicken Fest, like most area festivals, used tickets for food, drinks, and rides. 1 Ticket = $1. I’m not sure what the hot dogs cost but I know a funnel cake was 5 tickets!!!!

After they finished eating, we checked out the midway. I didn’t bring any extra money because I wasn’t planning on doing much but wandering around. Danielle got me on the Ferris Wheel. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s been awhile since I was on a Ferris Wheel or what but this one freaked me out. It went BACKWARDS initially!!!! Ok, if I was really paying attention I would have noticed this and from what I remember they all do that. I was white knuckling the bar and trying not to freak out too bad. After a couple of rotations, I was fine and actually managed to take a few pictures. We got gimped because we were the last 2 one and the first 2 off I swear. The boys and Danielle rode a few more rides and I kept my feet firmly planted on the ground. I checked out the music tent for a few minutes and Grand Union Station was playing. They weren’t bad. I even did splurge on that $5 funnel cake.

We went on the first night of chicken fest. It wasn’t bad but there were a lot of teeny boppers. The music tent wasn’t packed but that might have been because we were there before 7:00 PM. For a little blip on the map between bigger cities, it’s not a bad way to kill an evening. On Saturday there was going to be a parade. I’d like to have seen that. Maybe next year.