Great Forest Park Balloon Race
Encyclopedia
The Great Forest Park Balloon Race is an annual hot air balloon festival held in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri
. With more than 70 entrants and 130,000 spectators, it is the most well-attended single-day hot air balloon race in the United States.
as a local legacy after a nomination by then-Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives
Dick Gephardt
. So now, the Great Forest Park Balloon Race is forever documented through photographs, advertisements, media, and pilot rewards.
opportunity for spectators to walk among inflated balloons illuminated by their burners. In addition to the Balloon Glow and a fireworks
show, the event is accompanied by a free public orchestral concert by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
on nearby Art Hill, adjacent to the Saint Louis Art Museum
. During the race, the balloonists attempt to "chase" a 166-foot balloon of a pink bunny after taking off from the Central Fields in Forest Park. The goal is to follow the bunny until it lands, and then each pilot drops a sandbag or birdseed bag as close as possible to the bunny balloon. The winner is decided based on which pilots's sandbag, or birdseed bag, is the closest to the bunny. Due to its urban location in the city of St. Louis, the race is considered "particularly prestigious and challenging", and participation is by invitation only. At times, landing sites have included backyards, baseball diamonds, golf courses, street intersections, and the convent grounds of the School Sisters of Notre Dame
. The balloon race is accompanied by a festival that includes food and drink, inflatable castle
s, and a climbing wall
.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. With more than 70 entrants and 130,000 spectators, it is the most well-attended single-day hot air balloon race in the United States.
History
The first race was launched by Nikki Caplan and John O'Toole in December 1973 at a gathering of six balloons and twenty spectators. In 1977, organization of the race passed from Caplan and O'Toole to a group of four novice balloonists who continue to coordinate the event today. These men are John Marlow, John Schaumburg, Ted Staley, and Dan Schettler, who formed a ballooning group known as the Mississippi River Balloon Transit Company. This company now is the host of the largest and most well attended balloon race. On May 23, 2000, the race was honored by the American Folklife Center at the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
as a local legacy after a nomination by then-Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives
Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives
The House Minority Leader is one of the party leaders of the United States House of Representatives. This title is currently held by Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi of California....
Dick Gephardt
Dick Gephardt
Richard Andrew "Dick" Gephardt is a lobbyist and former prominent American politician of the Democratic Party. Gephardt served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri from January 3, 1977, until January 3, 2005, serving as House Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995, and as Minority Leader from 1995 to...
. So now, the Great Forest Park Balloon Race is forever documented through photographs, advertisements, media, and pilot rewards.
Current status
On the day before the race, the hot air balloons participate in the Balloon Glow, a night glowNight glow
A night glow is an event that is often held as a climax to a hot air balloon festival. The balloons are set up at sunset in the launch area, an open field, or a football stadium and are inflated as if they are going to take off. But instead of being allowed to ascend, they are held down by the...
opportunity for spectators to walk among inflated balloons illuminated by their burners. In addition to the Balloon Glow and a fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
show, the event is accompanied by a free public orchestral concert by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
on nearby Art Hill, adjacent to the Saint Louis Art Museum
Saint Louis Art Museum
The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the principal U.S. art museums, visited by up to a half million people every year. Admission is free through a subsidy from the cultural tax district for St. Louis City and County.Located in Forest Park in St...
. During the race, the balloonists attempt to "chase" a 166-foot balloon of a pink bunny after taking off from the Central Fields in Forest Park. The goal is to follow the bunny until it lands, and then each pilot drops a sandbag or birdseed bag as close as possible to the bunny balloon. The winner is decided based on which pilots's sandbag, or birdseed bag, is the closest to the bunny. Due to its urban location in the city of St. Louis, the race is considered "particularly prestigious and challenging", and participation is by invitation only. At times, landing sites have included backyards, baseball diamonds, golf courses, street intersections, and the convent grounds of the School Sisters of Notre Dame
School Sisters of Notre Dame
School Sisters of Notre Dame is a worldwide order of Roman Catholic nuns devoted to primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Their life in mission centers on prayer, community life and ministry...
. The balloon race is accompanied by a festival that includes food and drink, inflatable castle
Inflatable castle
Inflatable castles are temporary inflatable structures and buildings and similar items that are rented for functions, school and church festivals and village fetes and used for recreational purposes, mainly used by children. The growth in popularity of moonwalks has led to an inflatable rental...
s, and a climbing wall
Climbing wall
A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors as well. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used is a thick multiplex board with holes drilled...
.