USGA Museum to Float Giant Golf Ball-oon at Festival

The United States Golf Association Museum in Basking Ridge will be participating in the 28th Annual Quick Chek Balloon Festival for the second time ever. The Balloon Festival is a three-day celebration with live music, demonstrations, and hot air balloons.

At Stolberg Airport in Readington, NJ, the public can take hot air balloon rides at two different times per day--6:30am and 6:30pm. According to the Balloon Festival website, these times are prime for balloon ascension because the winds are calmest at dawn and dusk. 

"This is the second year that the USGA Museum is participating at the Balloon Festival. We have a traveling Museum kiosk that we bring to different sites for various purposes. We usually try to bring some sort of Museum artifact to give visitors a "sampling" of our massive golf history and memorabilia collection," Kim Gianetti, assistant manager of marketing and research at the USGA Museum, said. 

In addition to a prize raffle, a discount on admission to the USGA Museum and special coupons will be offered at the booth this year, Gianetti said.  

Last year, the USGA Museum sponsored a large golf-ball shaped hot air balloon which will be back again this year. The museum held a contest with Quick Chek this year for a ride in the golf-ball balloon and the winner of the drawing was Kerwin McLaughlin from Scotch Plains, whom Gianetti has already notified.

"Participating in this weekend gives us an opportunity to gain additional exposure with a wider audience, one on one, at a relaxed and fun venue," Gianetti said.  "While we have increased our advertising locally in various publications during 2010, I continue to seek out reliable and interesting vehicles to help 'get the word out'."

The Balloon Festival will begin on Friday July 23, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, July 24 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, July 25 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Musical performances this year include Air Supply, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Rick Springfield, and Emily Osment of the Disney television show "Hannah Montana". 

For more information on the 28th Annual Quick Chek Balloon Festival visit their website.