L/A Balloon Festival foregoes artists for AI? | Letter
Lewiston‑Auburn Balloon Festival faces backlash over new souvenir shirt design
Lewiston, Maine – A resident of Lewiston has taken to the city’s newspapers to express his disappointment with the 2026 Great Falls Balloon Festival’s latest souvenir t‑shirt. In a letter to the editor, Holland Corson criticized the shirt’s design, calling it “AI‑generated” and saying it fails to capture the shared spirit of Lewiston and Auburn that has defined the festival since its inception.
Corson’s letter notes that the festival—now known as the L/A Balloon Festival—was founded by two local leaders who wanted Lewiston and Auburn to share a common space for a celebration “purely for fun and wonder.” The first festival shirts, Corson says, featured “two artist signatures, one on the Lewiston half and one on the Auburn half,” a deliberate nod to the partnership between the two cities. He acquired a copy of that shirt at a thrift store and wore it with pride at this year’s event.
According to Corson, the new shirt was produced by the festival board’s design team, which he says “can get exactly what they want: a hot‑air‑balloon design for Lewiston and Auburn that also celebrates America’s 250th.” Instead, he describes the current design as “more akin to a flyer for gas station hot dogs than a message that Lewiston and Auburn stand together as great American cities.” He laments that the artist, if any, behind the design “doesn’t feel the passion for L‑A like other artists from the past.”
Corson urges the board to consider an original design that connects more deeply to the community and its people. “I hope next year the board can recognize the need for an original design, one that truly connects the festival to the place and the people who love it,” he wrote.
The letter was published in the city’s paper following an August 16 story that traced the festival’s origins and the collaborative vision behind it. The festival, now in its 32nd year, remains a key cultural event for the Lewiston‑Auburn area, drawing crowds each summer to watch colorful balloons fill the sky over the Falls. Whether the board will heed the call for a more locally inspired souvenir remains to be seen.
