If you happen to be passing through Poughkeepsie today, you might bee a giant red balloon floating high in the sky. There's a very good reason for it.

No, Pennywise the clown from the movie It hasn't invaded the Hudson Valley. Luckily, the giant red balloon that can be seen all across Poughkeepsie has a much less creepy reason for existing.

Hudson Valley residents driving around Poughkeepsie today might see a strange sight: a giant red balloon more than a hundred feet in the air (TSM Poughkeepsie)
Hudson Valley residents driving around Poughkeepsie today might see a strange sight: a giant red balloon more than a hundred feet in the air (TSM Poughkeepsie)
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Why a Red balloon Is Floating Above Poughkeepsie, NY

At first, I thought the guy in our parking lot raising the balloon had decided to skip work and let his inner child out to play. Instead, as he explained, he was doing an important piece of research for a proposed project.

The "red balloon test" is part of a very important project (TSM Poughkeepsie)
The "red balloon test" is part of a very important project (TSM Poughkeepsie)
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The "Red Balloon Test" Explained

The "red balloon test", he shared, was to help determine the visibility of a new cell tower that is currently in the planning stages of installation. But what does a giant balloon have to do with a 150-foot tower?

Believe it or not, there's a job description that actually includes floating giant balloons (TSM Poughkeepsie)
Believe it or not, there's a job description that actually includes floating giant balloons (TSM Poughkeepsie)
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How Balloons Help with Cell Tower Construction

The balloon, which it filled with helium and raised to the height of the proposed tower, is meant to give a rough idea of how visible the tower will be from different vantage points from across the city. Here's how:

Testing Tower Visibility with Red Balloons in the Hudson Valley

After the balloon is "installed" (below), the technician then travels to different nearby locations, photographing the balloon to show exactly how far and wide the future tower could be seen. Surprisingly, the method is quite common.

Once the red balloon is set and anchored, a technician drives around the area to take photos of its visibility (TSM Poughkeepsie)
Once the red balloon is set and anchored, a technician drives around the area to take photos of its visibility (TSM Poughkeepsie)
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Across the country, other proposed towers have undergone the same simple test. If balloons aren't available (Party City is closing, after all), other methods like using a crane to simulate the tower have been used.

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Whether high in the sky or right under our noses, there always seems to be something exciting underway in the Hudson Valley. Check out what happened a little closer to the ground when a bear invaded SUNY New Paltz below.

Bear on Campus at SUNY New Paltz NY

On Thursday (June 23, 2022) this unassuming good-size black bear wandered onto campus and decided to climb a tree. The SUNY New Paltz Police along with the NYS DEC Police monitored the situation on-site. They were able to encourage the campus visitor to return home without incident.

Gallery Credit: Paty Quyn

Hudson Valley School Mascots, Ranked

Gallery Credit: Jonah