Woodstock Orchards has publicly blasted CT Voyagers after a hot air balloon allegedly descended on its trees for a second apple-snatching run.
The nearly 70-year-old family-owned fruit stand in Connecticut went scorched earth on Facebook this week, accusing the touring company of letting passengers reach out and grab apples while cruising low over its carefully maintained orchard. “For the second time, this hot air balloon has come down into our orchard, with someone reaching out and taking apples from our trees,” the orchard wrote alongside a photo of the colorful balloon packed with passengers flying near fall foliage.
“In the process, our apple trees have been struck and damaged,” the owners added in the seething post. “Every apple on those trees represents time, money, and hard work. We welcome visitors who come to enjoy the beauty of the orchard, and we love seeing the balloons in the sky. But enjoying the view does not give anyone permission to damage our trees or take our crop.”
The orchard made clear it was not demanding anything extraordinary. “To have this happen once is upsetting. To have it happen twice makes it even more disappointing,” Woodstock Orchards wrote on Facebook. “A business operating in our community should understand the importance of respecting the farms and small businesses that make this town special.”
The owners added that they are not asking for anything “unreasonable” and simply want “respect for our livelihood that we show to the people who visit us every day.”
Photos posted by the farm showed the alleged klepto-balloon carried branding for CT Voyagers, a hot-air balloon touring agency that claims on its website to be “one of the top five-star rated hot air ballooning companies in Connecticut and New England.”
A spokesperson for the balloon company told Boston.com that the two incidents were simply a “misunderstanding.”
The company’s version of the first flyover, several years back, paints a far friendlier picture. “Our pilot discovered such a warm, friendly, kind, inclusive, and welcoming vibe,” the representative wrote in a statement. “We have always recommended visiting Woodstock Orchards to all of our customers.” According to the spokesperson, a “nice young lady” had held a basket of apples and generously tossed them toward passengers.
The second incident, which the orchard says happened Saturday, played out very differently by CT Voyagers’ account. “There was absolutely no damage to the trees, no fallen branches, not even a falling leaf,” the representative wrote. The company said the balloon stayed above the treeline but encountered a 12-year-old customer who reached for an apple, prompting the pilot to drift down and pick one to give the child.
After that gesture, a “very angry man” told the pilot never to do it again and asked him to leave despite the pilot offering to pay for the apple and returning it, the statement added.
“We acknowledge that seeking permission to pick even one apple is justified, although was not required on our last flyover several years ago,” the representative wrote. “For this, we do apologize for not seeking permission to pick one apple, and our pilot is now well aware of this (new) policy going forward.”
The CT Voyagers rep added that orchard workers “verbally threatened” the balloon crew and said they would ruin the company’s “reputation.”
“We again apologize for any misunderstanding and hope we can all peacefully continue to find ways to rise by lifting others up,” the representative wrote.
In an updated statement, Woodstock Orchards pushed back on any suggestion they rushed to post. “We did not just run to social media as a first decision after this happened,” the owners wrote. “The balloon operator was spoken to. We were not asked for permission for the balloon to do this.”