See Great Views of Sedalia From A Hot Air Balloon!

Returning to the Missouri State Fairgrounds on June 7 and June 8 of this year is the Hot Air Balloon & Kite Festival. And this year, you can open those peepers and get great views of Sedalia from the basket of a hot air balloon.

Midwest Ballon Rides will be in Sedalia offering rides at sunset and sunrise before the opening of the balloon festival on June 7.

Rides are available Wednesday evening, June 5; Thursday morning and evening, June 6; and Friday morning June 7. When I say morning and evening, I mean sunrise and sunset. Sunrise flights will meet at 5:00 AM, and the experience will be wrapped up by 8:00 AM. Evening flights will meet at 6:00 PM, and have the experience wrapped up by 9:00 PM.

It's not an inexpensive ride though, the cost is $299 per person for a shared ride with a maximum of five people per balloon. Or $1400 if you want to book the entire balloon. That's a maximum of five people with a total weight of 850 lbs.

The total balloon ride adventure lasts approximately three hours, with one hour in the air. The pilot and crew will take many pictures before and during the flight which will be given to riders after their experience, and riders will also experience a champagne toast after the flight.

According to their website Midwest Balloon Rides is the leading commercial operator of hot air balloons and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company's flown over 25,000 passengers and is a member of the Professional Ride Operators of the Balloon Federation of America. The company is owned by chief pilot Tony Sandliin.

In Sedalia, they plan to have three balloons flying that can carry 4-to 5 people. Tickets are already on sale for the rides. A $60 deposit is due upon booking, of which $10 is a non-refundable service fee. The remaining $50 per passenger will be applied to the total due the day of the ride.

You can learn more about the ride experience including passenger requirements, how weather can impact your ride, and Midwest Balloon Rides cancelation policies here. A portion of the ticket sales will go to the Sedalia Chamber of Commerce.