What a fantastic weekend!   Our Carolina BalloonFest 40th Anniversary 3-day festival was filled with many moments to remember!   Pilots, families, friends and hot air balloon enthusiasts reunited to honor and celebrate our notable pioneers who took flight more than 40 years ago -- their adventurous spirit gives us the wonderous gift of sailing in the winds today!

From 1974 to 2013 they gathered each year in our community to catch the winds and share their passion for flight with each other. Their traditon continues... National Balloon Rally Charities thanks everyone who contributed their time and support to the success of our event, Carolina BalloonFest, which enables us to continue our charitable mission!

 

Carolina BalloonFest 2014 will be a fun-filled weekend of family entertainment with outstanding attractions. Bring lawn chairs and blankets (pets & coolers are not permitted) to bask in the beautiful Carolina autumn weather as the backdrop to all the sights & sounds of colorful hot air balloons.     Come Early & Stay Late! 50 Hot Air Balloons Mass Ascensions Main Stage Entertainment Saturday Evening Balloon Glow Sanctioned Competitions Hot Air Balloon Rides! Tethered Balloon Rides! All-Day Festivities Kids Zone Edu-History Wine & Beer Tasting Artisan Village with Fine Arts & Crafts MarketPlace Eat Street Beer Tent 5K & Kids Fun Run     October 2013 TOP 20 EVENT by Southeast Tourism Society   40th Anniversary Calendar        October sponsor United Federal Credit Union   About 2013 Calendar

2014 Sponsorship Opportunities   We are proud to be the second oldest hot air balloon festival in the US, Carolina BalloonFest attracts 30,000-35,000 spectators who arrive from the greater Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Greensboro metro areas of central North Carolina, as well as surrounding growing communities and United States... Contact Us, today!     Flat & Fast course running along with the balloons!  LIKE Us on Facebook   'Life in the Carolinas' with Carl White

 

Rain or Shine...Carolina BalloonFest is open! Hot Air Balloons will fly, tether or be on display when suitable. safe weather conditions exist. The decision to inflate hot air balloons is made near and prior to scheduled display, tether or launch & flight times.

  

               

    National Balloon Rally Charities ~ PO Box 267 ~ Statesville, NC 28687

National Balloon Rally Charities, Inc. is an incorporated 501(c)(3) charitable organization and all contributions are tax deductible. 

A portion of proceeds raised through our annual hot air balloon festival are distributed to local charities.

 

   

Beverage maker plans to add Statesville jobs

Posted: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 11:30 pm

Beverage maker plans to add Statesville jobs By John Hamlin Statesville Record & Landmark

BeBevCo held the inaugural Koma Unwind Open House at its corporate headquarters and distribution center in Statesville on Wednesday and shared the company's big plans for the future. 

 

                                 

The beverage company expects explosive growth in the near future, said CEO Brian Weber, with plans to add 100 jobs in Statesville over the next 24 months in a variety of positions, including sales, customer service, shipping, logistics, marketing and brand management.

 

“Four years ago, we didn’t have anything. Now, we’re the biggest brand in the country in relaxation and we just opened an office in Europe and Asia," he said. "In four years, we went from zero to being the only relaxation drink at Walmart in the nation, and it’s been a fascinating journey.”

 

At Wednesday's event, athletes and sportsmen sponsored by Koma Unwind — which the company markets as the opposite of energy drinks like Red Bull — signed autographs and showed off their race cars, racing motorcycles  and boats. 

 

At 6 p.m., the autograph session gave way to cocktails and dinner, followed by an on-location filming of “Chris Lafferty's Motorsports TV,” which airs on the Pursuit Channel. The evening wrapped up with live music by country singer Darrell Harwood, Chris Lafferty and Another Lost Year, whose song, “War on the Inside,” plays when Carolina Panthers Quarterback Cam Newton runs onto the field at Bank of America Stadium.

 

The day started off with business, however, when Weber said more than 30 investors traveled from points as far as Arizona, Houston and Calgary, Canada, to meet with BeBevCo’s corporate management.

 

“We spent a minute or two reviewing the past, and we spent quite a bit of time talking about the present and the future,” Weber said.

 

Relaxation beverages existed when BeBevCo was founded four years ago, but Weber said the drinks were marketed toward a very small niche of urban consumers.

 

“We wanted to market to middle class, working people and people who drink beer and wine and take Ambien to sleep,” he said. “We’re a medicated society, so I thought it was a good idea to make something that was not so hard on you, but worked effectively.”

 

Koma Unwind is lightly carbonated and has a “multi-berry” flavor that tastes a bit like grape soda. To achieve the relaxing effect, the drink includes a proprietary blend of the supplements melatonin, milk thistle, rose hips and valerian root.

 

Koma Unwind sponsors long-drive golfer William Hinson, a high school senior from Blythewood, S.C., who turned pro in June at the age of 17 and already ranks 59th in the world with his longest drive measuring 418 yards.

The youngest long-drive championship winner in history, Hinson not only wears the Koma Unwind logo on his golf shirt — he swears by it.

 

“I had trouble sleeping and would stay up, especially during tournaments because we travel all over the place and I’ll get all jacked up the night before, so now I drink a Koma and it’ll knock me out and put me to sleep,” he said.

 

Koma Unwind is available in Statesville at Walgreens, Walmart, Compare Foods and several convenience stores.