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Balloon rally will launch from high school complex Dec. 5 & 6
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
The annual Caledonia Area Chamber of Commerce Bluff & Valley Hot Air Balloon Rally will be held this Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting. The first scheduled launch will be 7:30 a.m. Saturday. A second launch is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 1:30. The third launch is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
According to Randy Weibel, who has chaired the event for many years, the balloons will be launched from the high school practice fields on the north side of the Caledonia Area Middle School/High School complex.
The launch site was moved from the Houston County Airport, located two miles south of town, to the school complex last year. With prevailing winds out of the northwest, the balloon committed felt there would be a better chance of having the balloons sail over Caledonia, and more people could enjoy the colorful experience.
As of last Wednesday, 14 balloonists had signed up for the weekend event. Last year there were 15 balloons that were launched on a cold, clear Sunday morning. Saturday’s two launches had to be scrapped last year because it was too windy.
The most balloons that have participated in the event was a number of years ago when 21 balloons filled the Houston County skies.
Some history
Caledonia’s Balloon Rally is unique because it is the only official balloon rally held south of Rochester each year.
The balloon rally started in 1990 when Allan McCormick and two other ballooning enthusiasts decided to launch their balloons the day after the Caledonia Christmas parade, which is held the first Friday evening in December. The Saturday morning launch drew a number of spectators. They were so impressed with the colorful balloons sailing over the frozen countryside, they encouraged McCormick and company to hold a rally the following year.
The small, impromptu rally was held the next two years, drawing more spectators and interest.
“I think it was the year I served as chamber (Caledonia Chamber of Commerce) president that I contacted Allan and asked him if we could make this an organized event,” Weibel remembered. “It was still very informal. We didn’t advertise the event. But people came to watch.” Weibel added Miles and Jean Miller and Clayton and Janene Hosch were very instrumental in getting the balloon rally off the ground.
Another balloonist, Grady Davis, heard about the fledgling rally and asked if he could participate. Davis arrived in Caledonia the night before and took in the parade. He felt the rally could really be promoted if some of the balloon gondolas, equipped with their burners, could be part of the evening parade. The bright flashes of the burners were quite dramatic in the night sky, and the warmth generated was a welcome relief from the cold for parade goers.
By 1995, the balloon rally grew to include a dozen balloons, most of which were featured in the Friday night parade.
Over the past decade, the rally has grown to as many as 21 balloons. The balloonists and their crews have made the Caledonia Christmas Parade and Balloon Rally an annual event. According to Weibel, many have developed close friendships with the locals who have opened up their homes for weekend lodging, and those who have volunteered to be part of their chase crews.
The balloonists love to share their sport with others, according to Weibel. That need to share developed into a program Caledonia third and fourth graders have come to look forward to each year. The balloonists put on a hands-on program for the kids, and if Mother Nature cooperates, some lucky students get the feel of ballooning with a tethered ride.
Speaking of Mother Nature, weather plays a major factor in the success of the balloon rally each year. The rally includes three different lift-off times- early Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and again early Sunday morning.
Some years the weather cooperates perfectly, and there are three lift-offs. There have been five years when Mother Nature hasn’t cooperated and the event was a total washout.
“These people are all licensed pilots. They don’t take chances. If the weather isn’t just right, they don’t fly,” Weibel noted. “And, we’ve never had an accident or an injury in all the years we’ve had the balloon rally.
“It’s a very enjoyable event, something that has become very unique to Caledonia,” Weibel concluded.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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