Sebastian, top, and Heath Miller look at hot air balloon wind spinners for sale at one of the dozens of booths surrounding Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston during the Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Despite some weather that kept nearly all the hot air balloons grounded, this weekend’s Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival proved “a great success,” said organizer Mel Hamlyn.

“Our community really needed this after what we’ve gone through over the past year,” Lewiston City Council President Scott Harriman said Monday.

Given the big crowds, which ensured most vendors went home happy, it appears likely that city officials on both sides of the river will renew the festival for next summer with even more offerings.

“We are victorious. Our two cities and combined community came together and launched this festival after it was seemingly grounded,” Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said Monday.

“Regardless of the weather, tens of thousands enjoyed the music, the artisan vendors, and supported our local nonprofits by buying lime rickeys and blooming onions,” he said. “I’ll admit, the photographers roaming around were looking a little dejected, but every kid was having fun.”

“All the smiles on both the adults’ and the children’s faces made our long days worth it,” said Cathy McDonald, another key organizer.

“People had a great time,” said McDonald, who also led the Liberty Festival in July. “Everything went very well.”

Harriman said the balloon festival, which drew thousands of people daily, “went very well, especially given the limited planning time this year.”

“The overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received suggests this event was an exceptional success, especially considering the limited time frame of just two months to organize it and of course, the weather,” said Nate Libby, the festival administrator and assistant director of Lewiston’s Economic and Community Development Department.

Harriman said it was “unfortunate that the weather didn’t cooperate for launching balloons” throughout the festival, with fog, wind and rain setting in at crucial times each of the three days.

“We would love to have seen the balloons go up,” Hamlyn said, but it didn’t work out that way.

Even so, though, the festival was “still well attended and greatly enjoyed,” Harriman said.

Hamlyn said the balloon pilots, like everyone else, had a good time despite their inability to launch. She said they compensated with balloon glows and other on-the-ground sights that showed off their colorful equipment.

“We had great things going on on the field” all the time, McDonald said.

Concession stands at the Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival drew big crowds Saturday evening. Steve Collins/Sun Journal

Roger Philippon of Lewiston said Monday the crowds over the weekend were large “and there were many activities and good entertainment right there in the park” to keep everyone happy.

Vendors appeared to be doing a bang-up business most of the weekend.

The Lewiston-Auburn Rotary Club, which has long operated a concession booth at community festivals, said it did “very well” with its fundraising efforts.

“It looks as though this may have been our second-best year in terms of gross sales,” said Philippon, the club’s immediate past president.

“We sold out of chicken nuggets Saturday night and then ran out of onion rings on Sunday afternoon,” Philippon said.

Both McDonald and Hamlyn said they are sure the festival will be back next year.

McDonald said that with more time for planning, organizers hope to “create an even bigger event.”

“Coordinating such a large and complex event gave us valuable lessons for the future,” Libby said.

“Looking ahead,” he said, “it’s evident that this year’s festival marked a significant improvement over the last few balloon festivals, and it’s likely that the cities will play an enhanced role in organizing future balloon festivals.”

“By most accounts our team raised the bar, and we are committed to meeting or exceeding the public’s expectations for this iconic event in the future,” Libby said.

“We’ve already identified areas for improvement, such as setting clearer expectations with the public for the weather conditions needed to ensure safe takeoffs, flights and landings for the balloon pilots and their passengers, increasing the number of balloons inflating during daytime, and exploring options for balloons that can tether or operate in a limited area during the daytime as well,” Libby said.

Philippon suggested that “since the hot air balloons are often unable to launch, it might be worth exploring the feasibility of having some other aerial attractions” at future festivals “that are not so dependent on ideal weather conditions,” including perhaps ultralight aircraft, hang gliders or parachutists.

Rick Grant flips blueberry pancakes Saturday morning at Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston during the second day of the Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival. He and many of his family members have been volunteering at the pancake breakfast for decades. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Most of the online griping about the festival focused on the weather, with many suggesting shifting the timing of the festival in a quest to find more welcoming conditions.

“Given the feedback on Maine’s unpredictable summer weather, we’re open to considering a different date for the festival, and welcome all professional and amateur meteorologists to give us their predictions for the ideal weather week for future festivals,” Libby said.

But National Weather Service historical data shows that August is by far the best time of year in Lewiston to avoid rain — and mid-month is generally the best option.

But, of course, taking heed of historical patterns doesn’t necessarily produce a sunny, calm weekend that’s perfect for taking flight.

Harriman said city employees in Auburn and Lewiston deserve a big thank-you for jumping in “to make sure that the festival would still go on” after it appeared doomed.

“We did a great job in a couple of months,” McDonald said.

“It was definitely worth the effort,” Harriman said.

He added that two former mayors, Mark Cayer from Lewiston and Jason Levesque from Auburn, played a crucial role in raising money to cover the cost of the event.

Libby said, “We are so proud of the collective efforts that brought this celebration to life — our business community, nonprofits, city staff from Lewiston and Auburn, as well as the volunteers, entertainers, artisans and crafters, and the pilots and crews, who all played pivotal roles in making it a truly special experience.”