Caledonia Argus

Bluff and Valley Balloon Rally December 5-7 in Caledonia

Posted: 11/25/03

By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

The Bluff and Valley Balloon Rally will take place at the Houston County Airport on Saturday and Sunday, December 6, and 7.

It is held in conjunction with the Founderís Day parade, which will take place on Friday evening, December 5, at 7 p.m.

People are encouraged to come to the airport to watch the balloons get inflated and take off. ìThey can mingle right in the launch area and see the whole process of seeing the balloon set up and launched,î organizer Randy Weibel said. The airport is located two miles south of Caledonia at the intersection of Highways 44 and 76.

About 20 balloonists will attend, Weibel said. The first lift-off is at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, with another lift-off at 2:30 p.m. A final lift-off takes place on Sunday at 7:30 a.m.

Weather permitting, pilots at each lift-off will compete in a Hare and Hound Race in which one balloon takes off five minutes before the others. The pilot lands at his discretion and lays a target on the ground. The other balloons locate the target and drop beanbags on it. The idea is to get as close to the target as possible.

Some people who signed up ahead of time will be riding with the balloonists. Itís too late to sign up for a ride at this point, but people can help with the take offs and landings. That way theyíll get a close up look at it all, and can help with inflating the balloons, chasing them, and packing them up. To do this, call Clayton Hosch at 507-725-2258, Miles Miller at 507- 725-5104, or Randy Weibel at 507-725-3344.

The enthusiasm you see will be worth attending the event, Weibel said. ìJust the excitement generated by hearing how the person that gets to fly for the first time describes the event and sensation of flying.î

Pilots will vary their altitude from 200 to 2,000 feet. They land in a vacant field, preferably not a bean field because they donít want to rip the fabric of the balloon. ìA hayfield is ideally the best spot,î Weibel said.

After landing, they have a ceremony in which they recite a poem and drink champagne. The champagne tradition dates back several centuries, as a way to thank the property owner.

Wintertime is an excellent time to fly, Weibel said, because the difference in air temperature means less gas is used. ìYouíre able to see much more of the ground just because you donít have the leaf cover,î he added.

Last year people remarked how many deer they saw. ìThey almost look like little ants running through the forest,î Weibel said.

The balloons will go five to eight miles and be up in the air 45 minutes to an hour. They prefer winds of less than 10 knots, which is 12 miles an hour.

The event started about 12 years ago by three pilots from the area who wanted to do something the day after the Founderís Day parade.

ìIt just kind of blossomed from there,î Weibel said. He and his wife, Judy, enjoy balloon events. Itís fun and has led to new friendships. ìWe even go to other events just to get ideas and be with our friends.î

Grady Davis is one of the balloonists who helped expand the event. ìA lot of it was just word of mouthî,î he said. The Woodbury man said it is a nice area to fly in, with many deep valleys ìItís something we donít fly in every day. To be able to drop into those valleys and things like that,î he said. ìI also just enjoy the people down there.î

Asked why people should come to this event, Davis said, ìThey donít often get to come out and get close to a balloon. Itís a good way to learn. Thereís always lot of questions about how they work. Besides I donít know if thereís a much more colorful spectacle than a bunch of balloons getting in the air together.î

He and the other flyers depend on the people there to help put it in the air. ìIt probably takes about four people to blow up a balloon and pack it up when you land,î he said. Like Weibel, he encourages people to help out. ìWe depend a lot on the people to come out and watch. And we put them to work. We give them a good hands-on experience. Itís not real difficult.

ìPersonally, thatís one of my favorite things, watching people that have never done it before, the excitement and experience of it. Itís fun bringing that to somebody.î

Davis has one other wish: ìWeíll hope for good weather that weekend.î Thatís something that has been missing in recent years.

There are two fundraisers to help the organizers pay for the event, a Silent Auction and Wine Tasting event at the Inn on the Green from 7-9 p.m. on Sunday, November 30; and a Silent Auction at the Rotary Supper from 4:30-6:45 p.m. on Friday, December 5, in the city auditorium basement.

The Balloon Rally group is part of the Caledonia Chamber of Commerce, but does its own fundraising.

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