TAKE FIVE: RED, WHITE & BLUE BALLOON FESTIVAL

Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007 | 7:05 a.m.

What: Red, White & Blue Balloon Festival

Where: Sam Boyd Stadium

When: 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Donations: Admission is free; donations go to Operation Warm Heart

On the Web: www.poloamerica.com/balloonevents.html

Cold air is blown in, and a vaguely familiar pink head takes form and eases off the ground. A whoosh of hot air and out pop the long ears. The head - bigger than the presidents' on Mount Rushmore - appears to be searching for its body. Fully inflated, this Energizer Bunny rises to be 16 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.

The pink giant will join 23 of its friends - including Smokey Bear, Airabelle the Flying Cow, Hopper T. Frog, Woodrow the Tree and Noah's Ark - plus 23 colorful race balloons at the Red, White & Blue Balloon Festival this weekend at Sam Boyd Stadium.

The festival will benefit Operation Warm Heart, which supports troops and families stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. Promoters hope to draw 25,000 people each day and collect $100,000 in donations.

"It's an event for the entire family. If a family of 10 can only afford to put 50 cents in the pot, they can still come in," said Randy Russell, president of Polo America, the event's organizer. Because sponsors pay for everything, there's no admission charge. "It's a really feel-good situation . Everybody wears white hats.

"I love the country and wanted to do something for the military and figured this was a good way."

Smokey Bear goes up at 3 p.m. Rides will be offered in several tethered race balloons for people who make donations. The rest of the balloons will be laid out on the 16 acres of the stadium floor at 4 p.m. and inflated at 4:30. The color guard from Nellis will march into the stadium, and an eagle balloon will rise 60 feet and display the flag during the national anthem.

"I get goosebumps just thinking about it," Russell said.

The balloons will be aloft in daylight for half an hour, but the most spectacular display comes during the hour after sunset.

What is a "balloon glow"?

The 46 tethered balloons will have their flames operating continuously, making them glow.

"It's hard to describe the magical light show," Russell said. "When you are out there and you have these nine-story-tall balloons all around you, it's amazing. Over there you see a giant cow, there's the Energizer Bunny, and behind that you see these two bees. And the regular-shaped balloons are like an artist's palette exploding."

How do balloons fly?

It's simple: Hot air weighs less than cold air. So, the pilot fills the balloon - this "envelope" is made of ripstop nylon or polyester and coated to hold air - with cold air using a fan and heats it with a propane burner.

As the air heats, the balloon rises; as it cools, it descends. Pilots fly in the early morning and late evening, when the air is more stable and the winds are lighter.

Some festivals, such as the big fall festival in Albuquerque include balloon races in the mornings.

But the FAA wouldn't let the balloons fly near the McCarran flight path, instead suggesting Jean or Boulder City.

"It was hard to find a perfect location for this," Russell said. "I needed something more centralized. Sam Boyd was perfect."

How will the weather affect the event?

Forecasters predict rain and snow on Friday, but good balloon weather - cold with light winds - for the weekend. "It's just picture perfect," Russell said. Cold air means the balloons burn less fuel and can stay up longer. It should be good for spectators, too. "When they hit their burners, it puts out so much heat. It's a warm and cozy feeling."

The only problem would be winds above 10 mph. In that case, pilots set up their wicker baskets - "gondolas" - without the balloon and turn on the burners and shoot flames 20 feet in the air.

It's called a "candlestick."

How much do the balloons cost?

The smaller sport balloons can cost as little as $20,000. Russell, who got his pilot's license in April, has a $50,000 balloon. But specialty balloons like the Energizer Bunny cost $400,000 to $500,000. "Those 'special shapes' are very costly," Russell said.

They also can be tough to control. The most dangerous balloon may be Meadow Gold Dairy's flying cow. Never mind its 80-foot tail; the pilot has to peer between hooves and udders - each 30 feet in diameter.

How did a La Quinta, Calif., polo marketing firm end up promoting balloon festivals?

Russell's group was promoting a tournament in Boca Raton, Fla., and he wanted to keep the crowd around after the matches for the awards ceremony. "We did a balloon blow, it was just magical. Nobody left."

The Las Vegas festival also happened "somewhat by accident," Russell said.

His group held a balloon festival last year in Indio in the California desert to benefit the families of Marines stationed at Twentynine Palms, and the "special shape" balloons - like the Energizer Bunny - were the big hit. Trouble is, they're expensive to bring to town. So, he added the Las Vegas festival this year to help spread out the cost.