It'll be a hot time in Muncie's downtown with new Fire Up DWNTWN street festival

MUNCIE, Ind. — A new street festival for downtown Muncie arrives this summer, featuring hot air balloons, hot food and — most likely, since it's scheduled for the first week of August — hot weather.

Muncie Downtown Development Partnership is hosting an all-day event called Fire Up DWNTWN, presented by Ivy Tech Muncie, on Aug. 6.

“What began as just an idea to bring back elements of past iconic events led to six months of planning, fundraising and partnerships to bring the event to fruition,“ Cheryl Crowder, event director for Muncie Downtown Development Partnership said in a release. “Now we are excited to invite everyone."

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The new festival echoes the former Summer Heat hot-air balloon festival, which began at the Delaware County Airport in the 1990s and ended a run of about 14 years, and downtown event Ribfest, which lasted 15 years, ending after 2014.

Fire Up DWNTWN activities will include music and hot air balloons used for a glow show on the ground, along with a hot air balloon flyover.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. Aug. 6 on the streets of downtown. Food and drink will be plentiful, according to Vicki Veach, executive director of the partnership, and will feature barbecued ribs, downtown restaurant favorites and a variety of food vendors.

Downtown merchants and other vendors will offer deals and activities, she added.

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A HotSpot children’s area on Walnut Street will offer hot air balloon twinkle baskets with burners, a lava slide, a mechanical pig, a children’s train, and other interactive activities. Craft vendors, raku pottery, ironwork, hot pepper eating contests and other displays will line downtown sidewalks that day, according to a release from the downtown partnership.

Musical entertainment will be featured throughout the day on the Canan Commons stage and the Ivy Tech Plaza at Charles and High streets. Freaky Tiki Friday will return with Doc Peterson and friends in the parking lot next to Casa Del Sol.

Muncie police and firefighters will compete in rib-eating contests, water ball contests and an MRAP Pull, in which teams will pull a 14-ton military vehicle, according to Veach.

Featured attractions in the early evening will include seven hot air balloons flying over Canan Commons and 10 special-shape hot air balloons inflating in parking lots and areas around the park.  At dusk, 10 balloons will perform a 90-minute illumination show to music, with the event culminating in fireworks by Great Grizzly/Boomers Factory Direct Fireworks.

Tethered balloon rides will be offered 7-10 p.m. at Canan Commons at a cost of $20 a person. 

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Admission to the festival is free.

“It takes community-wide support to make an event of this caliber a reality,”  Veach said.

Organizers are making an appeal for approximately 100 volunteers to help with the special shape balloons, chase crews for the flyover balloons, setup and tear down assistance, golf cart drivers and runners. Anyone interested volunteering should contact Veach at vicki@downtownmuncie.org. 

Veach  said more details about the event will be announced in coming weeks.

David Penticuff is the local government reporter at the Star Press. Contact him at dpenticuff@gannett.com.