2017 Temecula Valley Balloon And Wine Festival Highlights: What Not To Miss This Year!

TEMECULA, CA — The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival has put together a Saturday June 3, mix of rocking stage entertainment, great food tasting opportunities and some interactive fun.

Let's start with the dawn balloon launch and three new balloons at the Festival. Pechanga Resort & Casino will be flying their brand new hot air balloon on its maiden voyage. Sporting their new logo in gold on an all burgundy balloon, this balloon will stand out.

Bimbo Bakeries, USA is bringing the Rise And Shine hot air balloon and sponsoring the evening balloon glows. Look for a bear wearing a chef hat in the sky. This is the Osito balloon, flown by world-renowned balloon pilot, John Petrehn. His piloting career has earned him more than fifty awards, including the National Aeronautic Association’s Harmon Trophy for outstanding achievement, two gold medals in the FAI World Hot Air Balloon Championship, gold and silver medals in the United States National Hot Air Balloon Championship. He is one of the top seven balloon pilots in the world.

The DreamShip will also fly at the Festival for the first time. This balloon is sponsored by the Rite Aid Foundation in partnership with Folds of Honor. It features 130 children's drawings of what the want to be when they are grown. These children of fallen and disabled American Military are Folds of Honor scholarship recipients.

Stop by the souvenir booth and pick up a souvenir t-shirt for an artistic addition to your Festival. The Temecula Valley Kiwanis are offering tie-dye, paint and inks for guests to color the black on white balloon illustration or tie-dye it to their own design. Guests can return later after the shirt is dry and take home their wearable art.

Live at the main stage Bush, Gin Blossoms, The Kickback, and Tonic will rock the Festival. The main stage is sponsored by Pechanga Resort & Casino, a sponsor of the Festival since the 1990s.
The Wine Garden Stage will include iHeart Radio's local rising stars and Jazz saxophonist Mindi Abair & the Boneshakers.

Bush, formed by Gavin Rossdale and Nigel Pulsford in 1992, has an amazing string of 18 consecutive Top 40 hit singles on the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, including 11 that hit the Top 5. No. 1 hits include “Comedown,” “Glycerin,” “Machinehead,” “Swallowed,” “The Chemicals Between Us” and “The Sound of Winter.” As a solo artist, Rossdale hit No. 1 on iTunes with “Love Remains The Same,” which sold close to 2 million copies alone.

Gin Blossoms makes their third return to the Festival stage. A band that is always requested by Festival fans, Gin Blossoms has a slew of hits including "Hey Jealousy," "Follow You Down," "Found Out About You," and "Til I Hear It From You." The Gin Blossoms are releasing their 1990s albums "New Miserable Experience" and "Congratulations. I'm Sorry" on vinyl, in March 2017.

Mindi Abair has made her mark as one of the most recognizable saxophonists in the US. She was known as the saxophonist of American Idol and is also the only saxophonist to tour with rock legends Aerosmith since 1973. Most recently she received a 2015 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for her solo CD Wild Heart featuring friends Gregg Allman, Joe Perry, Trombone Shorty, Booker T. Jones, Keb’ Mo’, and Max Weinberg.

The evening balloon glow is the Saturday Wine Garden highlight with a patriotic tribute to the nation's armed forces. Balloon glows are accomplished by tethering the hot air balloons to the ground, and having the pilots ignite their burners to make the balloon canopies glow against the deep velvet black skies.* Bimbo and volunteers will be distributing free souvenirs during the evening.

Foodies should book a rare treat in the Beer and Food pairing tent sponsored by Stella Artois. Chef Hunter from Pechanga Resort and Casino has prepared a barbecue-inspired menu that includes: Citrus Pepper Slaw with Barbecue Shrimp Salad with Hefeweizen Ale, Jalapeno Pepper Mac & Cheese appetizer with 329 Lager, Braised Short Ribs and Potato Hash with Get Up Offa That Brown Ale, and finished with Marinated Berries and Sugar Biscuit w/ a Mango Puree and Tart Mango Cart Wheel Ale.

The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival features dawn hot air balloon launches Saturday & Sunday, free morning tethered rides (weather permitting), premium wine tasting, microbrew tasting, food and wine pairing, chef demonstrations and beer and food pairing, as well as a full international food court, arts and crafts, and a kids faire. Friday and Saturday evenings also feature the popular evening balloon glow (weather permitting.)

Check www.tvbwf.com for scheduled times and activities or call (951) 676-6713. Hot air balloon flights, tethers and evening glows are subject last minute cancellations due to weather.

— SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION BY: Temecula Valley Balloon And Wine Festival / IMAGES COURTESY: Temecula Valley Balloon And Wine Festival