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Hot air balloon in an apple orchard
Autumn is a big time of year for New England’s tourism industry, and many businesses reap the benefits of people flocking to its six states for various fall activities. That includes an apple orchard in Connecticut, which is beefing with a hot air balloon company that’s been accused of swooping down to steal its fruit.
Many of New England’s coastal towns welcome an influx of visitors during the summer, but the rest of the region also has a chance to get in on the action when the temperature starts to drop and a crispness begins to linger in the air when fall rolls around.
Millions of so-called “leaf peepers” flock to the Northeast in the autumn to get a glimpse at the changing foliage. They inject billions of dollars into the region’s economy, and many of them will spend money on tried-and-true fall activities by patronizing seasonal businesses like cider mills and pumpkin patches.
There are also hundreds of apple orchards that rely on those visitors to pluck their fruit during a picking season that typically spans from August to November, including one in Connecticut that’s found itself beefing with a hot air balloon company.
An apple orchard in Connecticut called out a hot air balloon company for allowing passengers to steal its fruit by flying over its trees
Most people who head to New England to get a look at the changing leaves soak in the scenery while driving around, but hopping into a hot air balloon is a pretty cool way to soak things in if you can afford to shell out for a flight.
You can go that route in northeast Connecticut by booking one with CT Voyager Balloons, which primarily operates out of Woodstock. That rural town is also home to Woodstock Orchards, a family farm that’s been in operation since 1958 and is butting heads with the hot air balloon company over some unauthorized picking.
Last week, the orchard shared a picture of one of those balloons flying over its property while accusing the operator of repeatedly swooping down to allow passengers to snatch apples from the trees, which the farm says ” have been struck and damaged” in the process.
On Thursday, CT Voyager Balloons issued a response to the claim with a lengthy statement countering the account, asserting no trees were struck and that a single apple was picked for a 12-year-old passenger (one they say was returned “with an offer of payment” along with a bottle of champagne intended as a peace offering).
They also noted multiple apples were thrown up to the basket by an employee during the first flyover and subsequently assumed there wouldn’t be an issue if one was taken during the second.
As someone who was born and raised in Connecticut, I can’t say I’ve ever encountered this particular type of fall-related drama, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t very here for it.