05/18/2026
Today was an extremely beautiful day for hot air balloon contest winners Judy Fryer and Lily Douglass as they took to the sky in the Garden Spot Village hot air balloon.
Last fall, Judy and Lily were the Frederick Living winners of a Pro Aging Revolution essay contest which asked, "Why I should win a ride in a hot air balloon." Judy has always admired balloons since childhood and Lily wanted to do something to celebrate a milestone birthday. After many rescheduled dates due to weather and wind, they were able to join four contest winners from Garden Spot Village for the ride of a lifetime.
Taking off at 6 am, the crew floated over Shady Maple Smorgasbord, barley fields, and plowed farms before landing about 1 hour later. The local farm families came running to see the exciting landing and the young boys were eager to lend their muscle to stuffing the 400 pounds of balloon cloth back into the relatively small carrying bag.
Thanks to the crew of US Hot Air Balloon Team for a great morning!