In popular imagination — or at least in ads trying to exploit people’s imagination — hot air ballooning usually happens above the dramatic landscape of the American southwest or romantic vineyards, never over more prosaic locations like Kalamazoo, Michigan or Indianola, Iowa. But Kalamazoo hosted the first National Hot Air Balloon Championship 60 years ago, and Indianola has been a major center of hot air ballooning for almost as long.
The first hot air balloon flight happened in France in 1783, when Étienne Montgolfier briefly made a small ascent in a balloon tethered to the ground by a rope. The balloon was made of cotton cloth and paper, heated by burning wool and damp straw. Improvements rapidly followed, and ballooning transformed everything from warfare to recreation, but it wasn’t until 1960 that the modern era of hot air ballooning began.
Four balloon enthusiasts who had worked together in the Applied Sciences Division of General Mills started their own company after determining the right design, the right material (polyurethane-coated nylon) and the right heat source (a propane burner) to create a reliable, user-friendly and reasonably priced balloon. The first customer for balloons from the newly-founded Raven Industries (now Aerostar) was the U.S. Navy, which needed high-altitude balloons for research projects, but the new balloons quickly caught on with recreational flyers looking for something better.
In 1963, three years after Raven produced its first balloon, the inaugural U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship was held in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The championship came to Indianola in 1970. Less than 20 miles south of the state’s biggest city, but with an abundance of open spaces and a wide open sky, Indianola was an ideal location for hot air ballooning. The event had been held in a different city every year, but Indianola was such an appealing spot, it returned every year for the next 18 years.
In 1989, organizers decided to take the show on the road again, but Indianola wasn’t left balloon-less. That same year, the National Balloon Classic was launched. Memorial Balloon Field in Indianola is its permanent home.
“As a native Iowan, it felt magical and new to watch balloons soar over the cornfields I am so familiar with,” Little Village’s Lily DeTaeye wrote after attending her first National Balloon Classic in 2022.
The classic is a nine-day celebration of all things sport ballooning every summer. There are also competitive events. Last year’s classic featured five competitions: the National Balloon Classic Championship, the National Balloon Classic Pro Cup, the North Central Regional Championship, the State Championship and the U.S. Women’s National Balloon Championship.
“But to me, the National Balloon Classic felt nothing like attending a competition,” DeTaye wrote. “Instead, the experience is one of leisure, awe and community.”
Attendees can schedule their own rides in a hot air balloon during the classic. It isn’t cheap — prices start at $250 per person — but it does provide a remarkable view and the sense of having defied gravity.
This year’s National Balloon Classic, which is scheduled for July 28-Aug. 5, will feature more than 100 hot air balloons. The balloons will range from the utilitarian to the whimsical ones, like the towering Peg Leg Pete the Pirate Parrot. The event will also feature live music, Kids Land, and food and drink vendors, including beer from local breweries.
Tickets to the family-friendly classic are not sold at the gate, but can be bought online for $10/person, kids under 6 admitted for free. Parking is included in the price of admission. For information on how to buy tickets go to nationalballoonclassic.com, or call 515-961-8415.
Year-round ’loonacy
Although the National Balloon Classic only lasts nine days, the National Balloon Museum in Indianola is open year round. Located at 1601 North Jefferson Way, the museum’s hours are 1-4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.
The museum has a variety of exhibits covering more than 200 years of ballooning history, and a large collection of hot air balloon memorabilia. Since 2004, it has also been home to the U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame. The hall’s first inductee was Ed Yost, the “father of modern day hot air ballooning” and one of the four partners who founded Raven Industries in 1960.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s June 2023 issue.
