Balloons return to Stoweflake Mountain’s 24th Annual Balloon Festival in July where they will be flying over the golf course again this year. STOWE - More than 25 hot-air balloons will soar through the sky during Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa's 24th Annual Stoweflake Hot-Air Balloon Festival, July 9-11, 2010.

The Stoweflake Hot-Air Balloon Festival, voted a “Top Ten Event” in Vermont, is presented by Union Bank, will kick-off on Friday, July 9 at 4 p.m. with a twilight balloon launch at 6:30 p.m. The event will continue with sunrise launches at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 10, and Sunday, July 11, and a second twilight launch at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 10. The viewing of morning launches are complimentary for all visitors, admission for the evening festival events is $10 and children 12 and under are admitted for free. Located at the AAA Four-Diamond Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa, this year’s celebration will include a children’s corner with a variety of activities, live entertainment, delicious food and a beer and wine garden. Festival attendees are welcome to join in the fun; hotair balloon rides are priced at $275 per person, plus tax, and advanced reservations are required. Tethered rides on the hot-air balloons at the festival are available for $10 per person (no reservations are required.)

For further details on the Stoweflake Hot Air Balloon Festival, visit http://www.stoweflake. com/activities_area_event s.aspx or call 800-253-2232.

The AAA Four-Diamond Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa is a full service, all-seasons destination resort that offers luxurious accommodations, executive nine hole, par-three golf course, indoor and outdoor pools, two award-winning restaurants, state-of-the-art conference and event facilities and exceptional Nordic Walking, hiking and biking trails. The Spa at Stoweflake, recently listed among the “Top 54 Spas” in the world on Condé Nast Traveler’s coveted 2008 spa poll, offers more than 120 treatments, the Bingham Hydrotherapy Falls and a Labyrinth, a seven-circuit meditative garden.

For more information, visit www.stoweflake.com or call 1- 800-253-2232. Media can also visit www.louhammond.com for additional information and images.