Balloon Fest Puts a Twist on Party Entertainment

Festival of Balloons 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday

Hyatt Regency O'Hare, 9300 W. Bryn Mawr, Rosemont $3; children under 12 free (708) 696-1234 You've seen them at kids' parties, malls, circuses and streetcorners: folks trained to twist balloons into wiener dogs, flowersand other shapes.

To the untrained eye, this might seem to be the thinnest ofarts, barely even a craft. Yet watching balloon entertainers' handspull, bend and knead latex tubes of pink, red and blue into bulbycritters does have a certain fascination - especially for the young.

And say what you will, balloons can teach life lessons. Apreschooler quickly learns about the fragility of existence …