Citizens may view balloon glow in evening
Thousands of hot air balloon lovers and sky gazers from across the Midwest will gather at Three Sisters Park Friday through Sunday to celebrate the Illinois State Championship Hot Air Balloon Race and Festival with three days of live entertainment, balloon workshops, monster truck rides, fireworks and more.
This is the first Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino “Balloons at the Park” event, and program coordinators said they hope to turn this into an annual event held in Chillicothe.
Pilots from Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois will bring balloons of various shades and shapes for the competitions.
Four of the pilots competing in the State Championship are from the Peoria area, including Roger Moon (Clydescope), Kathy Arkwell (Slow Flite), Chris Frank (The Buhlune) and Dan Reusch (Knot a Balloon).
State Championships are open to anyone with a balloon, however all pilots must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and approved by the Balloonmeister.
Dick Donnelly, a pilot with more than 30 years of experience in ballooning will serve as Balloonmeister for the event.
“My job is No. 1, to make sure flying conditions are safe, make sure the event is appropriate for the weather and that the race is competitive and fun,” Donnelly said.
Donnelly, a native of Indiana, fell in love with the hobby after seeing hot air balloons with some friends at a county fair following his graduation from college.
“I’ve been flying ever since,” Donnelly said.
Aaron Foelske of Channahon, located about 50 miles southwest of Chicago, will be making the trip with his balloon, Basket Case.
Although he lives in Illinois, Foelske grew up in Indianola, Iowa; Indianola, a city of about 13,000 people, is home to the National Hot Air Balloon Museum and U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame. It was also home for 18 years to the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship.
Growing up, Foelske attended many of the local events with his family and friends.
“It’s something that’s unique. Once people see it they fall in love with it. You want to get involved,” Foelske said, “I always say your first ride may be $20, but your second might be $20,000 because you’ll want to have a balloon of your own.”
For eight seasons Foelske has taken part in ballooning competitions in Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.
After composing a list of about 20 different potential names he thought might cleverly suit his balloon, he finally named it Basket Case, after the title of a Green Day song.
