A crowd of between 4,000 to 6,000 people jammed the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport Friday evening to watch 45 tethered hot air balloons "glow" in the fading light of dusk.

Many in the crowd took the opportunity to go up in the tethered balloons.

The balloon glow and rides were the first of a series of events for Balloon Fest '94, which continues today and wraps up Sunday.

This year's balloon festival is sponsored by the Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts, in cooperation with Cape Girardeau Airport Manager Randy Holdman and his staff.

Shortly after 8 p.m., as cars were still lined up along the airport access road waiting to get into the airport, police estimated the crowd at more than 4,000.

High above the ground, in the airport control tower, Holdman estimated the crowd at around 6,000, based on the number of parked cars.

Holdman said when he came to work Friday morning he wasn't expecting as large a crowd since only the "balloon glow" and tethered flights were scheduled. But Holdman said his expectations changed when he started getting calls later in the day from as far away as Paducah, Ky., Carbondale, Ill., and northern Arkansas.

"At that point, we started to think that maybe we were going to have a pretty large crowd," Holdman said.

By 7 p.m., as the 45 balloonists were inflating their hot air balloons, the airport tarmac north of the terminal building had already taken on a festive appearance. People sat in lawn chairs, while others walked along the "Avenue of Balloons" on the north end of the tarmac. Still others waited in line for their turn to climb in a wicker basket for a ride in one of the tethered balloons.

Holdman said he was thrilled by the turnout. "One of the reasons for doing this was not only to have the balloon fest at the airport, but to give those coming to the balloon fest an opportunity to see their airport, and go through the remodeled terminal building."

By 8 p.m. Friday, Don Strohmeyer, a member of the Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts, was too busy helping direct the long line of cars toward parking spaces to talk at length.

Strohmeyer did pause long enough to say he was pleased and gratified by the turnout.

He said the unexpectedly large turnout overwhelmed the limited parking staff. Officials plan to have more parker attendants on hand today for what is expected to be an even larger crowd.

Balloon Fest '94 resumes today, with the first competitive balloon launch from the airport at 6 a.m., followed by a pancake breakfast from 7-11 a.m. at the airport's Runway Restaurant. The breakfast is open to the public.

From 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., there will be a static display of military and Confederate Air Force planes and aircraft from the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Crafts, booths and concessions will also open at the same time.

The Southeast Missouri Modelers will present a radio-control model airplane show at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. At noon, there will be a skydiving exhibition.

The second competitive balloon flight begins at 6 p.m. today.

The balloon fest will conclude Sunday, following the final competitive balloon flight at 6 a.m.

There is no admission and parking is free. Those attending are advised to bring lawn chairs or blankets.