The Northwest Art and Air Festival is an annual festival in Albany, Oregon

Albany, Oregon

Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 that celebrates local art and aeronautics. The Oregon Festival and Events Association has twice named the festival "best in its budget class" and in recent years the festival has averaged 40,000 visitors during the course of the event. In 2008 festival attendance was described by city officials as "the biggest by far".

The Northwest Art and Air Festival was conceived in August 2000. It is run by Albany Parks & Recreation and the Albany Visitors Association, and is sponsored by a local aerospace alloy manufacturing company, ATI Wah Chang

Wah Chang Corporation

Wah Chang Corporation is a manufacturing company based in Albany in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 1916, mining engineer Dr. K. C. Li founded the company, an international tungsten ore and concentrate trading company, in New York state from his native China. In early 1956, the Atomic Energy...

.

Locations include Timber Linn Park and the Albany Municipal Airport

Albany Municipal Airport (Oregon)

Albany Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport located east of the city of Albany in Linn County, Oregon, United States. It is publicly owned and operated by the City of Albany. It is the oldest known operating airfield in Oregon, opening in 1920. There are 58 aircraft based at the...

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Art

Over 70 artists from Oregon showcase their work. Art includes, pottery and ceramics,
wood furniture and woodworking, jewelry, lotions and soaps, painting, photography, rugs, and toys.

Music

Music is performed on two stages with notable acts appearing in the Oregon Amphitheater on Saturday night. Past acts have included Joan Baez

Joan Baez

Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....

, Los Lobos

Los Lobos

Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...

, Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material...

, Christopher Cross

Christopher Cross

Christopher Cross is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammys. He is perhaps best known for his Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme ", the last of which he performed for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore...

 and, in 2008, Little River Band

Little River Band

Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only...

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Air

The Albany Municipal Airport hosts a variety of events including a display from the U.S. Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 of a Blackhawk helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

. Local pilots instruct children from ages 8 through 17 on the basics of flight through a 20-minute instruction session called Young Eagles, which ends in a 20-minute airplane ride over the Willamette Valley

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...

. Airplane and helicopter flights are offered. Radio controlled airplane

Radio-controlled aircraft

A radio-controlled aircraft is controlled remotely by a hand-held transmitter and a receiver within the craft...

s are put out for display. Ultralight

Ultralight aviation

The term "ultralight aviation" refers to light-weight, 1- or 2-person airplanes., also called microlight aircraft in the UK, India and New Zealand...

s, experimental aircraft

Experimental aircraft

An experimental aircraft is an aircraft that has not yet been fully proven in flight. Often, this implies that new aerospace technologies are being tested on the aircraft, though the label is more broad....

 and small jet plane

Jet aircraft

A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...

s are present and flying.

Balloons

A signature production of the Northwest Art and Air Festival is said to be its "Night Glow" hot air balloon

Hot air balloon

The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...

 lighting. At dusk in Timber Linn Park, balloons ignite their engines—this illuminates the balloons like giant nightlight

Nightlight

A nightlight is a small light fixture, often electrical, placed for comfort or convenience in dark areas or areas that become dark at certain times, such as in an emergency...

s. The show is coordinated to music and in 2008 added a laser light show.

In the early morning on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, at least forty balloons are launched. Spectators are allowed to get close to the balloons as they fill and get ready to launch. Rides are available for a fee.