Nearly 250 drones lit up the sky above Memorial Park early Saturday morning, officially kicking off Colorado Springs’ annual three-day holiday weekend celebration, Labor Day Lift Off.
Those who managed to peel themselves out of bed for the 5:45 a.m. wake-up call were dazzled by familiar Colorado Springs formations as the aerial technology played out its programmed choreography. The 11-minute show was a first of its kind in the event’s 47-year history.
“Oh, it’s so pretty,” onlooker Kimberly Hubbard said as the show began, looking to the sky with her husband and two children. “Super duper.”
Moving in coordination with music over the loudspeaker, drones took the form of a rippling Colorado state flag, the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Wings of Blue parachuters and hot air balloons coasting in front of Pikes Peak and the Front Range.
They shifted into the city’s “Olympic City USA” logo and paid tribute to the event’s late founder Charles “Dewey” Reinhard, who died this summer at the age of 93, spelling his name and saying, “Thank You.”
Each scene was tailored specifically to the local audience and the city’s most iconic vistas. It required six months of planning alongside drone light show provider Grizzly Drones
“I heard the crowd applauded, people going, ‘Oh, my gosh, that was so cool,’ and, ‘This is new and neat,’ and stuff like that. I had some folks walk on by and say, ‘Thank you for what you’re doing.’ Where else would they have had the opportunity to see this in their own backyard?” said event director Scott Appelman.
For families like Hubbard’s, who attended for the first time in their 13 years in Colorado Springs, the show was a brand new experience unlike anything they’d seen — and an added lure to attend. And for regulars like Sandy Hill, who has lived in the city since 1972, the show was the latest creative wrinkle in an event that’s already kept her coming back year after year.
“I’ve been here since the start,” Hill said. “I thought it was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.”
Twice-daily drone shows are scheduled Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 5:45 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. to open and close each day’s festivities. A self-proclaimed “5-o'clock-ish kind of girl,” Hubbard said early birds saw some advantages to watching the early morning showing, like reduced traffic.
Crowds were relatively slim for the drones before ballooning to an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 by the 7 a.m. lift-off. Appelman said the best spot for those seeking the full experience of music-synchronized drone choreography — that is, both hearing and seeing the show — is on the balloon launch field in the center of the park, where speakers are directed.
Next year, the public could have a hand in deciding which sights and designs will be a part of the performance, Appelman said.
The event’s organizers believe the show to be the biggest-ever drone show in Colorado, Appelman said, and he hopes to obtain a community sponsor to make future years even bigger as the show solidifies itself as a new Labor Day Lift Off staple.
“Our goal is to be the largest drone show in the state of Colorado on an annual basis,” Appelman said.
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