It was still dark at 6 a.m., with stars glittering overhead, when fans began to arrive at Oak Point Park for the 46th Plano Balloon Festival’s first launch. Shuttle busses from the free parking at the Plano DART station arrived at the main gate, disembarking eager observers armed with cell phones and lawn chairs.
Many people queued up along Spring Creek Parkway’s curb, with an empty field in front of them. Some hardy folks walked up the cliff to the Collin College parking lot, where VIP ticketholders had gathered.
The launch was set for 7 a.m. on Saturday, September 20, but the trucks and trailers carrying their colorful payload did not show until around 7:30 a.m., when the rising sun colored the eastern sky pink.
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