2009.11.04
Photos: Glenvar grad gets a bird's eye view of Reno, Nevada
Allyson Fasnacht experienced something not many folks get to do at the early hour of 6 a.m. on September 11 of this year. She carried the Nevada state flag in the largest hot air balloon event in the nation: the Great Reno Balloon Race."It was easily one of the coolest things I've done," she wrote in an email. "I was in the second balloon to go up - carrying the state flag of Nevada, going right up after the balloon carrying the American flag. It was a lot of fun and I got some really neat pictures."
The event draws more than 100 balloons each year, lasting several days and providing many unique competitions and shows in the air for the 140,000-plus people that show up, as well as lots of educational events and entertainment on the ground.
Fasnacht graduated from Glenvar High School in 2003 and from Liberty University in 2007. She played basketball through her senior year at Liberty. After helping coach the Highlanders briefly, she took an opportunity during the 2008-2009 season to be an assistant coach to the Lady Paladins at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. She is now a graduate assistant for the women's basketball team at the University of Nevada and is pursuing a master's degree in educational leadership.
She shares these photos in the slideshow above. To see the gallery in a traditional format with captions for each picture, click here.
