When civic-minded residents started the Great Falls Balloon Festival in 1992 to raise the profile of Lewiston and Auburn, and to help local nonprofits raise funds, little did they know how popular their community event would become.

The festival, which continues today along the Androscoggin River in the two downtowns, features entertainment, food booths, craft vendors, a farmers market and, of course, the mass launches of balloons at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston and Festival Plaza in Auburn.

Additional Photos

Crew members prepare a balloon for launching. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Balloons take to the sky during the festival's 6 a.m. launch on Saturday. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Balloon pilot Andre Boucher checks the burners before the morning lift-off at the Great Falls Balloon Festival. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Bonnie Ingrassia pulls a line as she helps launch her daughter’s balloon, Wandering Winds, on Saturday morning. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Joe McLean and his son Logan, 4, of Greene watch the balloons rising Saturday morning from Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

A balloon glides over the steeple of the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston during the 6 a.m. launch at the Great Falls Balloon Festival on Saturday. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Today is Family Fun Day on the Lewiston side of the festival. For more information about activities today, go online to http://greatfallsballoonfestival.org.

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