QuickChek Will Take Flight Again as Balloon Festival Sponsor

READINGTON, N.J. -- QuickChek Corp. will return as the title sponsor of the annual New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America. According to the convenience store operator, this marks the 22nd consecutive year it will serve as title sponsor, the longest-running sponsorship of any festival in the United States.

This year's festival will take place July 25-27 at Solberg Airport in Readington, N.J. Featured at the event will be a twice-daily mass ascension of 100 balloons, as well as musical performances.

QuickChek will have a large presence at the event, where a 2,700-square-foot replica store will be housed. The hospitality tent will sell oven-toasted subs, salads and wraps, breakfast sandwiches, hot and iced coffees, frozen drinks and milkshakes to attendees.

"The balloon festival is our No. 1 branding event," said QuickChek CEO Dean Durling. "It has proven to be a great way to introduce consumers to our brand over the years, either on-site or in the months leading up to the festival in July. As the neighborhood shopping destination close to where you live and work, we enjoy partnering with our vendors to provide consumers with attractive offers in our stores, from exciting dining options to big savings on festival tickets."

QuickChek and the festival share the same goals and core values, added Festival Executive Producer Howard Freeman. "Each year, we look to produce the greatest event of its kind in the world, which QuickChek allows us to do. In return, they’ve capitalized on the opportunity to build their brand, introduce new menu items and showcase their award-winning customer service to a huge audience."

Approximately 165,000 people are expected to attend the Festival of Ballooning this year.

Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based QuickChek Corp. operates 138 c-stores throughout New Jersey and New York's Hudson Valley.