It was a busy couple of weeks for people in Wapakoneta as the city celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. People came from all around the world to celebrate with Neil Armstrong’s hometown, and few know just how much that kind of foot traffic impacted Wapak’s economy better than the business community on Auglaize St.

Wapakoneta is "lifting" off their 50th-anniversary celebration of the first moon walk, by taking flight in a different way. Hot air balloons hit the skies to kickoff the 10 days of celebration leading up to the anniversary next Saturday. For those who didn't get to take a ride Friday evening, they can take a tethered ride, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday for $10 at the Auglaize County Fairgrounds. Plus, stick around till dusk for the enlightening balloon glow. A co-sponsor of the event was Midwest Electric, who was happy to bring some flight to the festivities.

Wapakoneta’s 2019 Summer Moon Fest will be their biggest one yet as the community celebrates the milestone 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s historic first steps on the moon. “It’s expanded from what is usually about a four-day format to a ten-day format,” said Deb Zwez, a member of the 2019 50th Anniversary Celebration Committee.