Up, Up, and Away to Shreveport-Bossier

For a week during the height of the sweltering summer of 2016, folks in North Louisiana’s sister cities of Shreveport and Bossier found themselves suddenly transfixed by the sight of giant, colorful globes drifting silently through clear, morning skies. High above his hometown, hot air balloon pilot Pat Harwell was in his element—gazing out over the sprawling Northwest Louisiana landscape—when he spotted a school out on a rural road. From it, he could see a stream of children pouring out of the doors like ants. He told his crew, “Let’s drop down right here.”