'The joy of this art': Balloon dragon invades St. Albert mall
Just in time for Halloween, a new display inside St. Albert Centre mall is sure to make shoppers stop and stare.
That's because it's not every October you see more than 3,000 balloons depicting a brave knight fighting off a fire breathing dragon for a chest of treasure.
"For me that is the joy of this art, is to make people happy. And it's amazing what a balloon will do for people. It's associated with fun and excitement and youth and festivities," said Glen LaValley, also known as The Balloon Guy.
LaValley said it's all the work of a banker turned balloon maker.
"I design something I think will appeal to my client and I get their feedback and once I have it nailed down then I work on the details on how to construct. Then I build my team based on the talents I require for the work," LaValley explained.
LaValley can do all the usual balloons like birthday party animals. But his passion is the grand balloon display using multiple techniques and dozens of vibrant colours and shapes that fit into one another to make unique scenes.
The Dragon Dungeon will be on display until Nov. 1 or until the balloons deflate or pop.
But that likely won’t happen because this balloon artist double stuffs each balloon to increase strength and longevity.
"By putting one balloon inside the other, as you can see, it's very stiff and solid. it's harder to work with but your product will last longer," LaValley said.
Shoppers are invited to stop by, take a selfie with the knight and or dragon, and upload for a chance to win a gift card.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Alison MacKinnon
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.
What's causing the catastrophic rainfall in Kenya?
The torrential rains and deadly floods that have hit Kenya since March have been some of the worst in the country in recent years. Here's how factors combined to create the deadly deluge.
BREAKING Hosting Vancouver's FIFA World Cup games could cost half a billion dollars
Hosting seven games in Vancouver during the 2026 FIFA World Cup could cost more than half a billion dollars, according to an updated estimate provided Tuesday.