Officials say record attendance, heavy cleanup after Balloons Over 66 event; one pilot landed in Decatur after running out of fuel

City officials told the Committee of the Whole on Aug. 26 that the Balloons Over 66 event drew the largest downtown crowd the city has seen and generated significant cleanup work after the festival.

Committee members thanked volunteers and named a number of organizers and contributors, including Kevin, Peggy, Christa Hoban, Jennifer Prather, Seth Goodman and others. Staff reported volunteer shortages: many scheduled volunteers did not show, leaving fewer people to handle setup and teardown. Officials said they had leftover event T-shirts and that volunteers who did appear worked long hours—one staff member reported being downtown from 4 a.m. Friday through late Saturday night and back at 7 a.m. Sunday to finish cleanup. Streets and alleys were reported to be cleared by about 10 a.m. Sunday; staff described full rollbacks and roughly 30 trash totes taken to the landfill.

Officials praised the traffic control plan the police department implemented and thanked Public Works and other partners for signage and cleanup. The committee also discussed a pilot who departed Lincoln at about 7 a.m. Sunday and later landed in Decatur after running out of fuel; staff said the pilot was not carrying passengers at the time and sustained no reported injuries. Committee members said no major incidents occurred during the event.

The committee recorded appreciation for the organizing committee and urged better volunteer turnout for future events. No formal actions or budget requests were recorded during the Aug. 26 meeting related to the festival.