LEWISTON, Maine — The Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival kicked off Friday morning without its key attraction: the balloon launch was delayed.

Leaders of the festival said it wasn’t safe for the balloons to take off at 6 a.m. as expected because of strong winds.

But there are still five more launches scheduled, including Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“I'm hopeful we're going to have a great flight later on,” balloon meister Bruce Byberg said. “When we come here, people travel from all over to see it, and you can tell their enthusiasm just by being here, so we want to come and put on a good show, and make everyone happy.”

Each year, tens of thousands of people come to Lewiston and Auburn to see the hot air balloons rise over the cities.

This weekend, the

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