FRIDAY, FEB. 3 | SATURDAY, FEB. 4 | SUNDAY, FEB. 5
2012 SCHEDULE
PRE-EVENTS
Friday, January 14, 1pm:
GEOCACHING WORKSHOP Hudson Area Library, sponsored by Dough Boys Pizza. Learn about the popular family outdoor treasure hunting game. Free workshop but pre-registration is encouraged.
Saturday, January 14, 6-8 pm:
COUNT DOWN FUNDRAISER,The Village Inn Sports Bar & Grill. Come help raise funds for the annual winter festival and hot air balloon rally. You could be a winner! .
January 19-27:
CHILDREN’S COLORING AFFAIR, coordinated by St. Croix Valley YMCA, Associated Bank-Hudson, Hudson Star-Observer, Minuteman Press and Hudson Schools. Children’s pictures will be on display at YMCA, Hudson Star-Observer and Associated Bank locations throughout Hot Air Affair. download pdf of coloring page
Saturday, January 21, 10 am-2pm:
WELCOME 2012 CHINESE NEW YEAR at Family Fresh Market. It’s all about the Year of the Dragon that officially starts on January 23. Sample Asian foods, watch a martial arts demonstration and register to win prizes, including a balloon ride. Come see a hot air balloon basket and meet the pilot!!!
Saturday, January 21, 5-9 pm:
CANDLELIGHT SKI AND HIKE Camp St. Croix, sponsored by Sylvan Learning Center and PCK Foundation. Candle-lit trails for cross-country skiing and hiking along with trail side fires for quick warm ups. Come see a hot air balloon. Complimentary refreshments hosted by Art Doyle’s Spokes & Pedals. Free admission, no advanced registration required.
Monday, January 23, 5-8 pm:
TIP NIGHT FUNDRAISER, Pizza Hut WingStreet-Hudson. Celebrate on the actual day of the Chinese New Year at the long-time HAA sponsor restaurant. Earned tips will support The Year of the Dragon festivities Hot Air Affair weekend.
Friday, January 27, 5-8 pm:
HUDSON HOT AIR AFFAIR ANNUAL COUNT DOWN KICK-OFF, Dick’s Bar & Grill. Come celebrate the Chinese New Year with costumes, prizes & trivia games. Enjoy an evening of dragon wings with one of the Hot Air Affair’s Charter Sponsors—23 years of FUN!
Saturday, January 28, 1-4 pm:
ULTIMATE MARTIAL ARTS OPEN HOUSE, sponsored by Ultimate Martial Arts & Fitness. Introductory martial arts and self defense classes, demo team performance—come learn about Asian martial arts.
Sunday, January 29, 1-3 pm: :
FREE FAMILY DAY ACTIVITY, The Phipps Center for the Arts, sponsored by Eckberg Lammers. Family members of all ages will create individual dragons to carry as they march behind “The Phipps is for Kids” banner for the “2012 Chinese New Year” quirky and fun Torchlight Parade on Feb. 3. All materials provided for this FREE hands-on art-making activity. Call 715-386-2305 to sign up. .
BALLOONING EDUCATION PROGRAM Sponsored by Christenson Vision Care. Classroom programs on hot air ballooning and Chinese New Year in Hudson and area schools. Programs coordinated by Hot Air Affair Committee, pilots, Viking Electronics, Culligan-Stillwater, Christenson Vision Care and The UPS Store-Hudson..
10:00 am: YEAR OF THE DRAGON SUPER SALE AND BUTTON INSTANT PRIZES at Hudson businesses. Winter clearance sales and special events. Check your Hot Air Affair button number against numbers posted in participating stores Feb. 3, 4 & 5 and you could be an instant winner! Pick up your button at the Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau office or participating businesses. Shop Elan Clothing, Dilly Dally Gifts, Et Cetera, SEASONS on St. Croix Gallery, Grapevine Interiors “AT HOME”, The Purple Tree, Lavender Thymes, Art Doyle’s Spokes and Pedals, Knoke’s Chocolates, CocoBello, Abigail Page Antiques, Lillians, Marnie Marie Photography, Bert’s Coffee Café, Pangea International Jewelry & Gifts, The Nova, Hudson Flower Shop, Applebee’s Restaurant, Urban Olive & Vine, Massage Envy-Hudson , Chapter2Books, Dough Boys Pizza and Joyful Expressions.
HOT AIR AFFAIR GEOCACHING throughout the Hudson area. Go to www.geocaching.com for coordinates of winter friendly geocaches in Hudson and the St. Croix Valley. NEW geocaches hidden in the immediate Hudson area.
7:06 pm: TORCHLIGHT “YEAR OF THE DRAGON” PARADE, FEATURING PRIZES FOR THE BEST OVERALL PARADE UNIT, THE BEST UNIT BY HOT AIR BALLOONISTS, THE BEST “CHINESE NEW YEAR” THEME UNIT AND THE BEST KAZOO MARCHING BAND. . Hot air balloon pilots and crews displaying blasts of fire. Parade participants line up at 6:00 pm at Wells Fargo Bank parking lot and parade travels down Second Street. Prizes in each category. Please call 715-386-8332, 715-386-6217 or 715-381-2050 by noon on February 3 to register. Parade sponsors include Viking Electronics, St. Croix Self Service Storage, Hudson Bowling Center/Plaza Lounge, O’Connell Family Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Inc., Valley Agency, Inc.-Dennis Lee, Culver’s-Hudson, Gavic Construction, Target-Hudson, WalMart, Agave Kitchen, Valley Orthodontics, Oral Surgery Center, SSG Corporation, Eckberg Lammers, Winzer Stube, bob smith’s Sports Club and Shanghai Bistro.
FIREWORKS DISPLAY , immediately after parade over Lakefront Park and the St. Croix River. Sponsored by Andersen Corporation. Grand finale to downtown festivities.
6:30 pm: LIVE MUSIC JAZZ at Urban Olive and Vine, 520 Second Street.
9:00 pm: KARAOKE at Plaza Lounge, Plaza 94.
10:00 pm: DANCE at Dick’s Bar & Grill, 111 Walnut Street.
7:30 am: BALLOON LAUNCH, nearly 40 hot air balloons, including special shapes, in competitive flight. E.P. Rock school grounds (13th and Summer, on the Hill). Concessions and souvenirs available.
7:00 am-noon: PANCAKE BREAKFAST, , Masonic Temple, 209 Locust Street. Sponsored by Masonic Lodge #56. All you care to eat breakfast—pancakes, cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, biscuits & sausage gravy, fruit, beverages. $7.00 adults, $3.50 children 10 and younger.
8:00 am-8:00pm MARKETPLACE AND CRAFT FAIR, E.P. Rock School (13th and Summer, on the Hill). Craft and souvenir selection with special winter apparel, ballooning and Hot Air Affair emphasis. Visit the Hot Air Affair booth for souvenirs, Hot Air Affair apparel and collectibles. Hot food and drinks available in cafeteria by local non-profit groups.
8:00 am: HOT AIR AFFAIR GEOCACHING throughout the Hudson area. Go to www.geocaching.com for coordinates of winter friendly geocaches in Hudson and the St. Croix Valley. NEW geocaches hidden in the immediate Hudson area.
10:00 am: GEOCACHING FOR FAMILY FUN, sponsored by Dough Boys Pizza. Come meet local geocachers and learn about the fun, family adventure of geocaching. Equipment will be shown and you’ll learn how to get coordinates and search for hidden treasures. Bring your questions. E.P. Rock School cafeteria.
10:00 am: UP, UP & AWAY 5K FUN RUN, E.P. Rock school grounds, sponsored by Anytime Fitness—Hudson. Registration starting 9 am. $18 pre-register by Feb. 1 or $25 day of race. Door prizes, race shirt & refreshments. Click here for overall race results or here for age group results.
10:00 am-4 pm: OCTAGON HOUSE MUSEUM, sponsored by Dopkins Accounting Service. Guided tours and learn about the early history of ballooning. Admission.
10:00 am: YEAR OF THE DRAGON SALE AND BUTTON INSTANT PRIZES at Hudson businesses. See description under Friday, February 3.
10:00 WARM UP STATION , sponsored by Tom Nielsen Coldwell Banker Burnet Realty. Visit the E.P. Rock school cafeteria throughout the day for music, dance performances and programs about China. Take a warm up break, refreshments available to purchase, entertainment.
12:00 - 3:00 pm: MINNESOTA KITE SOCIETY, E.P. Rock school grounds, sponsored by Xcel Energy. Society members provide a kite ground display, stunt kite demos, fighter kites. Kites for kids of all ages available for sale.
1:00 pm: SMOOSH BOARD COMPETITION, E.P. Rock school grounds. Hot Air Affair’s wackiest winter sport with 4 people on the same smoosh boards. Call 386-7300 or 381-2050 for team registration, $10 per team. Prizes for best team in competition plus best “Year of the Dragon” costumes. Smoosh boards available. Sponsored by Resco.
1:00 pm: : ICE CARVING, sponsored by La Petite Dentistry, E.P. Rock school grounds. Watch the skills of a professional award-winning ice carver bring a big block of ice to life in front of your eyes.
1:00-3:00 pm: CRAFTS FOR KIDS “Year of the Dragon”, sponsored by Associated Bank at E.P. Rock School Marketplace. Kids join in making free crafts..
3:00 pm: BALLOON LAUNCH, E.P. Rock school grounds. Optional flight if morning flight launched. Mass ascension if morning flight was canceled.
6:00 pm: CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION, E.P. Rock school grounds, sponsored by WESTconsin Credit Union. Enjoy The Year of the Dragon show before the Moon Glow, the Hot Air Affair’s version of “A Field of Chinese Lanterns”. Celebration coordinated in partnership with the Dragon Festival, the annual Asian Arts Event and Dragon Boat Races at Lake Phalen Park in St. Paul, MN each July.
6:30 pm: HOT AIR BALLOON MOON GLOW OR FIELD OF FIRE, E.P. Rock school grounds. Hot air balloons light up the dark so bring your camera for this spectacular event! In case of windy weather, Moon Glow becomes a Field of Fire.
6:30 pm: LIVE MUSIC JAZZ at Urban Olive and Vine, 520 Second Street
7:00 pm: BENEFIT BINGO FUNDRAISER FOR HUDSON BOOSTERS, sponsored by Hudson House Grand Hotel and Valley Agency Inc.—Dennis Lee. Enjoy a fun filled evening of bingo and raise money for youth sports programs in Hudson. Cash bar. Hudson House Grand Hotel - 1616 Crest View Drive.
9:00 pm: KARAOKE at Plaza Lounge, Plaza 94.
9:00 pm: KARAOKE at Bob Smith's Sports Club Inc., 601 Second Street.
10:00 pm: DANCE at Dick’s Bar & Grill, 111 Walnut Street.
7:30 am: BALLOON LAUNCH, nearly 40 hot air balloons and special shapes in second competitive flight. E.P. Rock school grounds.
HOT AIR AFFAIR GEOCACHING throughout the Hudson area. Go to www.geocaching.com for coordinates of winter friendly geocaches in Hudson and the St. Croix Valley. NEW geocaches hidden in the immediate Hudson area.
10:00 am: YEAR OF THE DRAGON SALE AND BUTTON INSTANT PRIZES at Hudson businesses. See description under Friday, February 3.
2:00 pm: SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL CHILI COOK-OFF, Dick’s Bar & Grill. The hottest, the best, enter your favorite warm up chili concoction and you could win a prize. Sponsored by Dick’s Bar & Grill, call 386-5222 for details and registration by February 4. Limited entries. Cash, trophies and fabulous prizes.
