On July 19 and 20, thousands will be in attendance in Middletown for The Ohio Challenge, Greater Cincinnati’s annual hot air balloon festival. This is the events 17th year, and takes over 300 volunteers to put on. Among the sponsors for the event are our friends at Middletown Ford.

Up to 25 hot air balloons and their pilots are expected to attend, giving attendees a chance to see them up close in action and even take tethered balloon rides during the day. At night, the balloons will light up the night sky with the Balloon Glow.

Other activities include skydiving, fireworks shows and rides in a biplane, and a car show with over 100 cars. Just up I-75, this is one of the region’s largest summer events and a great stop for a quick weekend road trip.

To learn more, go to OhioChallenge.com.