Longview news journal and sporting events
Longview is a city spread between Harrison County and Gregg County in Texas. This city is considered to be the commercial hub with the Longview Metropolitan Statistical Area and is considered one of its principle cities. With a population of approximately 77,000 people, Longview has a majority population led by Whites, Hispanics, Native Americans, African Americans, Pacific Islanders and Asians respectively.
The Longview sports scene is quite different and unconventional. Apart from the regular college sports of football, volleyball, Baseball, golf, softball, soccer as well as other varsity games, they host a number of annual events that vary from boat races, balloon races, motorcycle rallies, athletic events. All these events take place through the year and celebrate some facet of sports combined with their culture.
In the month of January the East Texas Boat, RV and Camping Expo takes place. This 3 day event is organised on the last week of January every year. The building blocks of this event was laid by way of the owners of Longview Marines, Gene Brady and Dale Clark and has been active since 1982. This expo brings RVs, yachts, boats and motorcycles, ATVs from all of across East Texas in one location drawing almost over 10,000 attendees annually.
Yet another significant attraction in this area is the Annual Memorial Day Motorcycle rally. This rally brings individual bikers and motorcycle riders and such clubs from all over Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. This event began in 2006 and it has been an important attraction in this region. The big event includes many bike games, a bikers show, music and parades and the big attraction called the Teresi Dyno-Drag. During this interactive event, bikers test their skills in racing and find out how quickly they could really go in a quarter mile stretch.
Probably the most exciting festivals that take place in Longview would be the Alley Fest that is held in the start of summer. This fest began in 1978 and hosts an art show, a music festival, a food contest as well as a marathon run which is a 1 mile, 5K and 10K course. The newest introduction to the fest is the Kids Marathon run where children between 5 to 12 take part in a 25.2 miles run.
The most popular among all these could be the Great Texas Balloon race that is held in the month of July each year at the East Texas Regional Airport. This event is considered as the “longest running hot-air balloon race in Texas”. This race began in 1978 during the launch of the Longview Mall as a giant celebration. It carried on thereafter and has grown into a competitive event of first class standards. This event is considered to attract world class hot air balloon pilots from all across the world and consists of balloon fights and balloon glows. The added attraction of this event is always to observe how these balloons get inflated and operated. It is an event which is held in association with the North American Balloon Association and invites eighty special sport balloons.
The Longview News Journal is the main newspaper publication of this area and goes back to 187. This publication carries all of the local news, sports and community details.