CUE WAGNER’S “RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES.” Hot air balloons are about to descend on Shreveport-Bossier City. The Red River Balloon Rally, along with the 2016 U.S. Hot Air Balloon Championship, will take place July 14 – July 20, throughout the metro area, with festivities to be held on the campus of LSUS. The rally is a Balloon Federation of America event, and Shreveport will host the events annually through 2019.

“We took the name from the balloon rally from back in the 1990s,” said Kelly Wells, executive director of the Shreveport Bossier Sports Commission. “We’re pairing it with the U.S. Hot Air Balloon Championships. This is the Super Bowl of hot air balloon competitions. The top 40 most competitive pilots in the country will be here. You’ll see more and more balloons in the area over the next couple of weeks.”