In the wee hours before dawn Friday morning, a band of pirates quietly invaded Palo Duro Canyon, unloading their cargo into the Mack Dick Pavillion in the state park floor. As the sun began to rise, vibrantly colored hot air balloons were unfurled in the parking lot as crews checked weather reports and mingled around, talking.

With very little wind but overcast skies, the media event for Pirates of the Canyon and Pirates of the Park began to take shape into a beautiful spectacle of hot air balloons rising up within the layered walls of Palo Duro Canyon, with cheers from the crowds who came to watch the amazing spectacle that hasn’t graced this area for 12 years, according to Dave Henry, City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager.

The Amarillo Parks & Recreation Department hosted and coordi

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