ANDERSON COUNTY — Roughly eight hot-air balloons launched Friday morning from the lawn in front of the Civic Center of Anderson ahead of roughly 35 balloons that crossed Anderson in a competitive race.

Wayne O’Shields of Pickens, piloting Destiny with a wicker basket and a green and blue canopy, was among the first to make the trip that ended near the Anderson Regional Airport.

It is the beginning of the Great Southeast BalloonFest, which is in its second year and continues through Labor Day with balloon rides, concerts, barbecue and carnival entertainment.

O’Shields said his balloon would see action throughout the weekend as he ignited his propane burner and lifted the balloon to the west of Anderson.

Minutes earlier, Axel and Keri Annese, sitting with their mother on bleachers at the Civic Center, watched crews unwrap and fill their canopies with hot air.

“I want to be in a balloon,” said Axel, 6.

Keri, 3, said, “The apple balloon is my favorite.”

The colorful balloons launched just before 8 a.m. in a delay that was caused by a threat of rain.

While drifting over Anderson neighborhoods, O’Shields pointed to dozens of balloons drifting through the haze behind him. Thirty-five contestants are participating in national competition organized by the Balloon Federation of America, he said.

For O’Shields and others, the weekend will be “touch-and-go,” said Steve Lambert of Anderson, who expressed concern about the threat of isolated storms.

The National Weather Service indicates there is a 20 percent chance of rain each day through Sunday.

For Judy Swanson of Anderson, that was not a problem Friday morning.

Swanson, who has served as a balloon crew member, said she loves the sound made as propane burners hiss as they cast out towering flames into the cavernous canopies of balloons.

“When you ride, you move with the wind,” she said.

Balloon enthusiasts and curious spectators gathered in clusters along Hembree Drive armed with hot coffee, digital cameras and excited toddlers to watch the nylon giants take to the skies. One such enthusiast, Judy Hall of Anderson, said she got “hung up” on ballooning five years ago when she first volunteered as a “balloon chaser.”

“My grandson and I have been chasing balloons around Anderson County for the past five years,” Hall said.

Hall added that her grandson, Colby Jones, loves being a part of the chase groups that volunteer to help prepare the balloons for flight and then recover them when they touch down.

“He loves guessing where they’ll come down, which could be anywhere,” she said. “One year, a balloon ended up touching down on Hartwell Lake before getting airborne again.”

However, it isn’t all fun and games. Of the 80 balloons registered to take flight over Anderson this weekend, 47 are captained by competitive pilots, with four past world champions in that group. Fred Foster, director of the BalloonFest, said competitors in the National Championships put more than just pride on the line.

“These pilots compete for substantial sums of money at these events,” Foster said.

“So it’s not just about going up and coming back down.”

Pilots are judged on the execution of certain maneuvers, such as how well they can ascend to a certain altitude within a certain time limit, or how well they can descend and land within a specified target area. Angie Stringer, Anderson County government public information officer, said the competitors also drop weighted bags, or “bombs”, on targets from various altitudes to demonstrate their expertise in gauging wind speeds and maintaining proper altitude.

The National Championships concludes Monday, when the new national champion is crowned at the Civic Center of Anderson. The top six competitors will become eligible to participate in the World Championships in France later this year.

The balloons are the centerpiece of a weekend of outdoor concerts, classic car shows, fireworks displays, barbecue, eating contests and a variety of family- (and budget-) friendly rides and attractions. The festival, which runs through Sunday night, culminates with “Celebrate Anderson,” featuring the music of “Star Wars” as performed by GAMAC at the William A. Floyd Amphitheater.

Tickets are on sale at the Civic Center of Anderson box office or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For additional information, visit www.greatsoutheastballoonfest.com or contact the Civic Center Offices at (864) 260-4800.