Off Beat
The hot air balloon company says the controversy is a “misunderstanding.”
It was a vintage New England fall afternoon when a rainbow-striped hot air balloon took flight from West Woodstock, Connecticut. The sky was clear, winds were slow, and the autumnal hues of orange and yellow bespeckled the trees below.
The CT Voyager Balloons flight, which took off just before 4 p.m. Saturday, experienced a sudden change in wind direction, a representative of the company told Boston.com. This brought the balloon over Woodstock Orchards, a family-owned farm in operation since 1958.
What happened next — a person in the balloon plucking an apple from one of the trees — became a source of frustration as depicted in a Saturday evening Facebook post from the orchard.
“Every apple on those trees represents time, money, and hard work,” the post reads. “We welcome visitors who come to enjoy the beauty of the orchard, and we love seeing the balloons in the sky. But enjoying the view does not give anyone permission to damage our trees or take our crop.”
The post, which called on users to share the post so the balloon company would see it, elicited more than 1,000 likes and 500 shares. Dozens of comments — which the orchard eventually locked — called for everything from lawsuits to police intervention.
Connecticut State Police told Boston.com they never received any calls for service at the orchard.
A ‘misunderstanding’
The town of Woodstock, nestled in the northeast “Quiet Corner” region of the state, is a rural community with the second-largest land area in the state, but a population of just more than 8,000.
The orchard wrote in its post that Saturday’s incident was the second time the balloon has dipped into the orchard for an apple, leaving a wake of “struck and damaged” trees. The orchard wrote that its motivation for the public post was to ensure such incidents “never happen again.”
“A business operating in our community should understand the importance of respecting the farms and small businesses that make this town special,” the post reads.
While the orchard doesn’t name the hot air balloon company in the post, an attached photo displays “CT Voyager Balloons” on the side.
Woodstock Orchards declined to comment on the post or situation when reached by Boston.com.
A representative for CT Voyager Balloons wrote to Boston.com that the situation is a “misunderstanding.”
“We love and appreciate our Quiet Corner neighbors, land owners, customers, and business owners!” the representative wrote. “Intentions to physically or verbally harm any of the businesses in this area (or anywhere) that are a very important part of the beautiful Quiet Corner was and is never close to being a priority for us.”
The two incidents
The representative for CT Voyager Balloons said the balloon has traversed above the orchard on just two occasions.
When the balloon first flew over the orchard several years ago, the representative wrote, a “nice young lady” held a basket of apples and gently tossed them towards the passengers. There was no damage to the trees and no complaints from the orchard, according to the representative’s statement.
“Our pilot discovered such a warm, friendly, kind, inclusive, and welcoming vibe,” the representative wrote. “We have always recommended visiting Woodstock Orchards to all of our customers.”
On Saturday, when the balloon diverted over the orchard again, it was a “vivid contrast” in experiences, the representative wrote.
The statement emphasized that the balloon remained above the treeline, did not damage the orchard, and did not land on the property.
The only exception was when a 12-year-old customer reached towards an apple. The pilot then drifted down three feet and picked one apple for the child, according to the representative.
“There was absolutely no damage to the trees, no fallen branches, not even a falling leaf,” the representative wrote.
A call for resolution
The representative wrote that the passengers then encountered a “very angry man,” who told them to never do that again, according to the representative. The pilot offered to pay for the apple and returned it to the man, but the man told the pilot to leave, according to the representative’s statement.
“We acknowledge that seeking permission to pick even one apple is justified, although was not required on our last flyover several years ago,” the representative wrote in a statement. “For this, we do apologize for not seeking permission to pick one apple, and our pilot is now well aware of this (new) policy going forward.”
Later, the pilot returned to the orchard with a bottle of champagne and apologized for the misunderstanding, but the man rebuffed the pilot again, the hot air balloon company said.
The representative alleged workers at the orchard “verbally threatened” the crew that the orchard would “ruin” the hot air balloon company’s “reputation.”
The Facebook post from Woodstock Orchards states: “We did not just run to social media as a first decision after this happened. The balloon operator was spoken to. We were not asked for permission for the balloon to do this.”
The representative for CT Voyager Balloons wrote that the company hopes to find a “peaceful resolution,” now that both sides have shared their version of events.
“We again apologize for any misunderstanding and hope we can all peacefully continue to find ways to rise by lifting others up,” the representative wrote.
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