"Arky," which visited the very first Balloon Festival 20 years ago, has returned to float over the skies of L-A this weekend.

The Great Falls Balloon Festival celebrates 20 years of soaring over Lewiston-Auburn, starting tomorrow and running through Sunday. The spectacular balloon launches are scheduled for 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, Friday through Sunday, weather permitting.

Moon glows (hot air balloons tethered and lit up with propane) are scheduled for the evenings, following the 6 p.m. balloon launches, at Simard-Payne Memorial Park.

The balloon festival is well known for its line up of live entertainment. See the schedule of music, entertainment and activities for the festival on Page 12. For more complete information, see www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org

Part of the mission of the balloon festival is to provide a fundraising opportunity for local civic and community organizations. Dozens of these organizations offer a wide variety of food throughout the weekend, including pancakes, pizza, ice cream floats, pulled chicken, sausage sandwiches, fried seafood, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, lobster rolls, tacos, fajitas, lime rickeys and, of course, fried dough.

The Great Falls Balloon Festival Parade steps off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 18 with a theme of “Celebrating 20 Years of Flight.”

The parade will start on Spring Street at the Auburn Public Library, proceed down Court Street and cross the Longley Bridge. It will then turn right onto Lincoln Street and disperse at the intersection of Lincoln and Cedar Streets. The parade length is approximately one mile and lasts about an hour.

Featuring activities for all ages, the 2012 Family Fun Day is Sunday, August 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Simard-Payne Memorial Park (Railroad Park) in Lewiston.

The day includes a Fun Run for ages 4-12 (register at: greatfallsballoonfestival.org); hot air balloon tethering; miniature pony rides; MadScience.org demo booth; Party Palooga roaming face painters and balloon twisters; and T-shirt painting booth; limited free T-shirts will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.