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The Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival is celebrating women pilots this year.
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The Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival is celebrating women pilots this year. These balloons gracing the downtown skyline of High River were from the 10th annual festival.
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Six balloon pilots, also known as aeronauts, are being celebrated in High River this weekend.

At Wednesday's opening ceremony at the Heritage Inn in High River founder and organizer of the Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival, Jamie Kinghorn acknowledged the six women hot air balloon pilots. 

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Jamie Kinghorn, founder of the balloon festival addresses the crowd at Wednesday's opening ceremony.

Two local pilots caught the flying bug while volunteering on crews and now pilot balloons of their own.

Cathy Dudgeon will be up in 'Queen Bee', which has been loaned to her this year, a change from her usual very colourful balloon.

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Cathy Dudgeon on the right will be up in the #1 'Queen Bee' balloon this year.

High River's Jenn Podruski will be piloting 'Louie,' a familiar sight for many as she's been flying in the festival since 2017.

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Jenn Podruski in the middle will be in the #5 balloon 'Louie' again this year.

Linda Then from Calgary is back again this year and along with her husband Walt they're flying 'Big Toy 2'.

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Linda Then in the middle will be in the #2 balloon 'Big Toy 2'.

Brie Johnstone will be flying another bee-themed balloon called 'BeeLieve'. 

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Brie Johnstone on the right is in the #4 balloon 'BeeLieve'.

Sanda Rolfe Whelan and her husband Bill Whelan are back from Ontario with their beehive balloon gracing the sky.

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Sandra Rolfe Whelan in the middle will up in the #3 balloon 'B.O.B. - bunch of bees'.

Ginny Rieger rounds out the six women aeronauts and she came all the way up from Sheridan, Wyoming making her first appearance at the festival with her balloon 'Hot N Bothered'.

There will also 'bee' some other favourite shapes returning including Buster and Bella the British Bulldogs and Princess Nellie the pink elephant.

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Buster, Bella and Princess Nellie from last year's Balloon Glow.

Check here for balloon flight times.

The festival wraps up on Sunday.