Fiesta 2022 Day 8

We are almost there

Well we made it to day 8 and the final weekend of Fiesta. The rain continued through the night. When the o-dark thirty morning alarm went off my fellow photographer and I discussed the futility of going to the field and checked in with a couple pilots. Weather at the field was scattered showers which were predicted to increase till the afternoon. So of course the field was put on … you guessed it – “hold”. That poor yellow flag was never getting a break.

At a more reasonable hour of the morning, text messages started coming in from other pilots asking for help. Many of them had been helping to dry out the special shapes most of the night and were going back to it after a couple hours of sleep.

The convention center was one of about a dozen locations around town that had been opened up for the special shapes to dry out in. Local pilots made the connections to find big enough sites some of which opened up as early as Friday night.

convention center with multiple special shape balloons inflated to dry

multiple special shape balloons inside a building

elephant balloon inflated on a loading dock

woman holding a balloon open to dry it out

armadillo shaped balloon inflated in building

Inside and loading dock of the convention center

It was a site to see. Special shape balloons are already huge but to inflate them inside buildings with them brushing the ceilings…. Most of these balloons were using the inside of the convention center but a couple were in the covered loading dock area as well.

I went in with my gloves prepared to help but was quickly berated that I wasn’t taking photos and to go get my camera.

people drying out a tarp with a special shape in the background

using towels to dry the floor next to a wet balloon

people drying out a special shape balloon

people inside a special shape shoe balloon

2 people moping the floor next to a wet balloon

Tarp drying, strategic fan work, floor mopping and logistic discussions.

Shapes like the bees were already dry when I arrived but the shoe and other complicated shapes were going to take hours to get dry with just fans being used. Once one side was dry they would have to be rotated to get to the other side. Not only did the balloons need drying but also the tarps and pack bags as well.

The puppy came in with so much water it was running off forming puddles everywhere.

All the fans running did make the area a bit exhaust heavy but all the doors were open so it wasn’t too bad. An indoor stadium that was being used for the same purpose had to be evacuated from too much carbon monoxide build up from the fans.

With social media exploding with all the posts of wet shapes the hashtag #projectdryout started trending. Fiesta officials did show up and coffee and breakfast burritos were supplied, I’m not sure by who. But the food was appreciated by everyone.

Day 8 is the last of the evening events

Another glow another “shelter in place”. They didn’t waste any time with this storm. The announcers got people moving to shelter before the rain started. Sid Cutter pavilion was at capacity and the fire marshals had to turn away anymore people. Over at the media tent we could hear the crowd at the Sid Cutter getting rather rowdy. This time the rain threatened but did not materialized. No one was going to take the risk of being fooled again. Through it all the ever present yellow flag was up.