Vol. 17, No. 4	Sept. 25, 1997

Hot air balloons to rise over Delaware Stadium on Oct. 4

Admission is free to UD students with ID, $5 for adults over 18 and $1 for children. Parking around the Field House is plentiful and free.

The day will provide several photo opportunities, so those attending are encouraged to bring cameras. Weather permitting, pre-fair activities begin when several hot air balloons (Paradise Star, Color the Sky, Smile High, Dream Chaser, to name a few) with pilots and crews will be launched from the Field House area parking lots. Pilot briefing begins at 6 a.m., with lift-off scheduled to start at 7:20 a.m. The balloons should be visible in the Newark area between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Beverages, muffins and bagels will be available for early morning viewers.

A sunset flight with lift-off between approximately 4-4:30 p.m. also is scheduled.

Although the craft vendors close at 6 p.m., food will be available until 7 p.m., and everyone is encouraged to stay for the grand finale, the hot air balloon glow, with set-up beginning at approximately 7 p.m. As darkness descends, the balloons are inflated once more. They are tethered to the ground because of Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and are lit up from the inside like huge, multi-colored globes.

Weather permitting, tethered balloon rides will be available for $5 outside the Field House, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Also scheduled are a demonstration of ballooning and videos.

Crafts

Craft vendors of every kind will be on hand and choices include copper and silver jewelry, decorative home accessories, fabric dolls, Santas and snowmen, fashion jewelry, computerized personalized pictures, handmade wreaths and pillows, stained-glass pieces, clothing, flower arrangements, baskets, needlework, personalized children's gifts, beadwork, candy jars, seasonal gifts, hand-woven items, T-shirts and sweatshirts, flags, sand art, woodcrafts, batiked clothing, hot air balloon mobiles, airplanes made from cans, toys, American Indian items and more.

Puppets and magic

Lois Young, a nationally known children's entertainer whose popular recordings can be heard on the Sony Kids Music Label, will perform her highly participatory music and puppet review for children of all ages at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Delaware Field House.

Taking highlights from her critically acclaimed children's theatre shows and her best-selling cassettes, Young incorporates five, large hand puppets (some up to 4 feet tall) into her performance.

Children love to clap, tap and snap along to her rousing greeting song and to cook up a batch of fun as they join her in her popular hit, "Pancakes."

Another favorite is "Feathers," the story of shy bird, which deals with tolerance and understanding differences between people. During this song, Birdie the puppet delights children when he goes out into the audience to give pecks and kisses to waiting out-stretched hands.

Other favorites include "Tickle Me," "I've Got a Runny Nose" and "I Can't Sleep."

A classically trained singer, Young performed extensively in the New York theatre, in national touring companies and in more than 50 national commercials before becoming a parent and discovering a talent for relating to children. A divorced, single mom, she began this phase of her career by writing and performing children's songs for her young daughter, Amy.

She continued to appear in commercials to finance her first recording, then was able to devote herself fulltime to children's performances.

"The risks of following your heart are great, but so are the rewards," she said.

Puppeteer and balloon magician Scott Davidson also will present his special brand of performance at 10 a.m. and 2 and 3 p.m. in the Delaware Field House.

Storytelling

Sandy Lewis, storyteller, folklorist and musician, will present his distinctive form of entertainment inside the Field House at 10:30 a.m., 1 and 2:30 p.m.

Lewis incorporates the guitar, tin whistle, bones, jaw harp, percussion and juggling to delight audiences in programs that are educational as well as entertaining. Audience participation is a must.

With a master's degree in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania, he has been performing throughout the Delaware Valley since 1982. He has appeared at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Franklin Institute, Sesame Place, the Free Library of Philadelphia and numerous other festivals, museums, libraries and schools.

For l0 years he produced Patchwork, a WXPN-FM radio program about storytelling and storytellers.

On stage

Tuesday, a wordless comedy of movement, conceived and directed by Jewel Walker, professor of theatre at UD, will be performed at noon in the Delaware Field House.

Presented by the Professional Theatre Training Program, the play showcases an enchanting hodgepodge of characters who appear and disappear through imaginative and captivating vignettes of daily routine. A dog-walker with an incontinent pup, a pack of partygoers en route to a celebration, a purse snatcher, and a Salvation Army band all make up a day in the life of an ordinary street. With action inspired by silent film, Walker transforms this ordinary day into a theatrical experience.

Other activities

Kids also will enjoy Old McDonald's Farm, sponsored by the Division of Special Programs, the College and Health and Nursing Sciences and the Animal Science Club of the College of Agricultural Sciences, where they can get a close-up view of barnyard friends.

For sports fans, a volleyball invitational will be held with matches at 10 a.m., noon, 3 and 5 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center.

The hot air balloon festival will help support research in the College of Health and Nursing Sciences and its degree programs-health and exercise sciences, medical technology, nursing and nutrition and dietetics-and raise awareness of important health issues. In addition, under the umbrella of the college are interdisciplinary programs offering graduate degrees in biomehcanics and movement science; the Division of Special Programs, coordinating distance learning degree programs and professional education; the Advisement Resource Center with information on careers; the Health Center, providing health services to older adults; and the Employee Wellness Center for faculty and staff.

The American Lung Association is committed to the treatment and prevention of lung disease.

Thanks to its research and education, the incidence of tuberculosis has decreased dramatically, and the organization now focuses on other major lung diseases, including asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.