The Journal

Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Lifestyle

Media Credit: Laila Wessel At the 35th annual Great Forest Park Balloon Race on Sept. 15, the Energizer Bunny balloon starts the race by leaving first. Then, the other 63 sponsored balloons try to land wherever the wind blows the bunny.

Media Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF JEROEN TETTEROO Gavin Culbertson takes pictures of balloons inflating for his advanced cinematography class before the Great Forest Park Balloon Race Sept. 15.

As the cooler weather sets in and class workloads increase, students can become reclusive - living out their lives exclusively on campus. But there is a great big city out there for Webster University students to explore, especially just as the autumn festivities are about to take place.

This past weekend, throngs of local students from all of St. Louis' schools could be found in Forest Park. They were camped out on picnic blankets to celebrate the 35th annual Great Forest Park Balloon Race.

Living in St. Louis is a great opportunity for students to get out and about, said Gavin Culbertson, a senior film production major.

"There's plenty of events," Culbertson said. "If I hear about it, or see pictures or flyers (about events around St. Louis), I check it out. I always call my friends and tell them to go."

Every year since 1973, thousands of people flock to St. Louis to attend one of the biggest hot air balloon races in the United States. The race is hare-and-hounds fashioned, comprised of approximately 70 balloon pilots, all of which take off the ground 15 minutes after the "hare" balloon takes flight. Their goal is to follow the hare. The balloon that manages to drop a bag of birdseed closest to the chased balloon wins.

Indeed, the "hare" balloon truly is a hare. Sponsored by Energizer batteries, the giant pink bunny mascot balloon made its debut at the Great Forest Park Balloon Race in 1994 as the world's largest hot air balloon.

"The 'hot hare' balloon stands 166 feet tall - that's 15 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty," the announcer voiced over the crowds gathered in the picture-perfect weather to view the spectacle. The bunny's ears by themselves stand just as tall as a normal hot air balloon.

"Everyone just comes out with their families and dogs to sit and watch such a very cool event," said Cathy Borchard, an internal auditor for Energizer who volunteered to hand out pink bunny ears at the event. "This is my second year volunteering, and this time around seems more crowded to me."

Thousands of people were in attendance. The count for last year stands at a little more than 130,000 spectators.

"This is the second largest hot air balloon race in the country, besides Santa Fe," Borchard said.

Other sponsors of the event included Pepsi, the local Suburban Journals, St. Louis Children's Hospital and even Webster U.'s neighboring Fontbonne University. Students from Webster University were not only given the opportunity to get out and visit one of St. Louis' historic events, but also given a unique opportunity to complete class projects.

"I went to the balloon race to take photographs for my Advanced Cinematography class," Culbertson said, explaining that he needed colorful shots. The race provided him with a rainbow of colors.

Dave Parker, of Gentle Breeze Hot Air Balloon Company based out of Cincinnati, is a pilot who helped to crew one of those colorful balloons, sponsored by Houser Concrete. He has piloted balloons for 13 years.

"This is one of the events we always look forward to coming to," Parker said. "One of the things that makes it so great - so successful - is that it's free. Other races, like in New Jersey for instance, charge $10 a head and $5 for parking. For a family of four, that's almost $50 even before you get there. Then you have to buy food and things."

He travels with his company to visit about six balloon rallies every summer.

The balloonists all get to know one another from different races and form a tight comradery, like a family, Parker said. After a race, they all like to get together and hang out in an event they like to call the "balloon salloon" - sharing drinks and stories.

Although the race itself is breathtaking to watch, the daytime event is paralleled by its even more enchanting nighttime component.

The race features a "balloon glow" spectacular the evening before. The competing balloons set up before sunset, blowing their torches up into the expanded balloons just as night falls while still sitting on the ground. The result is a glowing rainbow of excitement that truly captivates the crowd.

"The nighttime event before the race (allows) people - students in particular - who might work on Saturdays to still be a part of this event," said Colin Lloyd, junior at Washington University. He attended the event with his girlfriend, Anna Speak, who said these free events around town were the perfect opportunities to have fun and cheap - yet still romantic - dates.

"I used to come here when I was a kid and going to school in town," Cheryl Johanson, 37, said. "We still come to the glow every year. I love to pack a picnic dinner and bring the kids. They're always just in awe, you can't explain how beautiful it is. They're like huge, giant fireflies. You really just have to see it for yourself."

In May 2000, The Great Forest Park Balloon Race was immortalized. Documentation of the races, souvenirs and photographs were chosen to represent St. Louis and Missouri to be inducted into the permanent collection of the Library of Congress as part of the national library's bicentennial celebration.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools