The Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival was up close and personal Friday night for the Balloon Glow as it lit up High River Friday night with thousands of people in attendance. Due to inclement weather, there were only 9 balloons inflated which were only able to stay up for about 30 minutes before rain clouds blew in. However, there were many more baskets set up that were flaring and there were even some special Star Wars characters keeping the crowd entertained. It was a 'selfies' paradise as visitors were kept busy trying to capture that selfie moment with a hot air balloon once they were able to take to the field. The DJ set up on the CDI International stage had music pumping out and kept the crowd informed. The balloons started to inflate at 7 p.m. and once the crowd was allowed onto the field close to 7:30 they had about 30 minutes to get their selfies and see the balloons up close and talk to the pilots. The crowd started to disperse around 8 p.m. but many stayed enjoying the music, talking to the pilots and filling up on the 21 different food vendors. The Rotary Club also helped out with keeping the crowds safe, organized and the BGC (formerly the Boys and Girls Club) of High River were also taking donations at the Centre Street bridge to help offset the costs of putting on the Balloon Glow. Many other volunteers were on hand to assist as were the RCMP, Police Services, AHS and the Fire Department.