Standard-Examiner staff?lbrady@standard.net?

O

n Antelope Island this Labor Day weekend, everyone is hoping for easy breezes and lots of sunshine. ?

That’s because things that fly with air power, like balloons and kites, like those conditions best. ?The sixth annual Antelope Island Stampede and Balloon Festival gets under way this morning with a passel of balloons making their stately way along the Interstate 15 corridor in Davis County during the morning rush hour. Events will wind up after dark Sunday night, with the last show of a three-night fireworks extravaganza. ?Organizers hope high or gusty winds stay away.?”If we can keep those at bay, I know it will be a spectacular weekend on the island,” said Kathi Dysert, director of sales and marketing for the Davis Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, whic presents the festival.?Last year, the festival attempted to bring in some big-name national acts in concert in conjunction with the festival, at an extra fee in addition to the cost of entry to the festival.?Due to problems with the concert promoter, the shows had to be canceled. ?Luckily, local acts stepped in to fill the void, and this year, said Dysert, the planners decided to go with local and regional groups. They include two tribute bands that play music with fairly universal appeal.?”We were looking at bands for the demographic of our particular event, and we had a promoter who came out and looked at our venue. Her suggestion was it was the perfect venue for a Kahuna Beach Party or a band like that.”?Kahuna Beach Party is a Beach Boys/surf-music tribute band out of Denver, known for its family-friendly shows. ?”They look spectacular from what I’ve seen on YouTube — very engaging with the crowd, getting everyone involved with their performance,” said Dysert. ?Also playing is the Diamond Experience, a Neil Diamond tribute based in Salt Lake City. It was founded in 2001, and has played numerous gigs throughout the area, including for the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. ?Rodney Carter, who can channel a mean Neil Diamond, is a founding member and the lead singer. Also in the band are Greg Gillis, who is not only the guitarist, but also a professor at the University of Utah. Armando Flack is another member of the band, who plays with several other projects, including the West Valley Symphony. ?Said Dysert: “This music is a good fit, we thought, because we want it to be family-oriented and want people to come out and have fun. And we wanted to keep it affordable, too, which we hope it is at $15 a carload.” ?As for the big balloons, the goal this year is to do a morning launch every day of the festival, as is typical, but also to add an afternoon one daily, as weather allows. ?

The exact time will be determined by the weather conditions at the moment, but they will likely fly during a window of time from about 4 p.m. until 7 p.m.?

Less dependent on the wind is IQuad, the precision kite-flying team that debuted last year at the festival. The demonstrations are dazzling crowd-pleasers, said Dysert, and they can generally fly in all but the worst weather conditions.?

And to keep the excitement going into the late evening, Dysert said, they will shoot fireworks off after the music ends all three nights. ?

New this year is the addition of a BMX demonstration, with full ramp setups for the daring young men on bicycles to fly on their own terms. ?

“This happens to fall the weekend before the Dew Tour in Salt Lake City,” said Dysert. “So, while we don’t have confirmation yet, we are hoping some big names will come out for the fans of that sport. We thought that might be a good way for a new demographic to come here and see the island.” ?

Antelope’s allure?

And getting people out to the island is what makes fighting the winds and the weather worthwhile, said Dysert. ?

“Some people, local people, have never even been out here, and they are usually very surprised by the wildlife.” ?As in the song, buffalo do roam this island, as do an abundance of other critters, like the antelope after which the island is named, as well as coyote and bobcats. ?”And people like to venture to the beach, and maybe see they can really sink or swim in the Salt Lake,” Dysert added. “Also, we have horseback riding available at Fielding Garr Ranch. We’ll have food vendors with a wide variety of items. We tried not to have any two serving the same things, to keep variety. And the lineup of local entertainment really is awesome.?”But of course, the balloons are a highlight. We are hoping working in the afternoon flights will give us more availability for rides, with the winds being a little less tricky.”