Folks generally seem to be quite excited about this September's Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival in High River.

Certainly Chairperson of the High River balloon events committee, Jamie Kinghorn is, as he has his own balloon that he takes up every year.

Kinghorn says the festival originally started off as a way to lift the communities spirits after the flood in 2013, but quickly grew.

"What its grown to now, last year we had crowd estimates by major media's of 30,000 people on Friday night. We have 25 balloons actually registered, we have a number of special shapes coming, its become one of the biggies for High River."

This upcoming September will mark the seventh anniversary of the festival.

Kinghorn says he got the idea for the festival after the 2013 flood.

"Well you know I was here through 2013 and I saw what happened to the town, and I've been to a number of balloon events around the world and I see what they can do for people, and I thought this would be a really good thing for the town of High River. And we tried it and it worked, and it's continuing to work."

Kinghorn added that the festival has really become a well known staple of High River, and folks come from all over to launch their balloons here.

"Recently High River Town Council appointed a piece of property, and we're the first municipality in Canada to have an actual designated hot air balloon launch port. Where ballonists from wherever they come from know they can come and launch from our balloon port down here in High River."