by Glen Moyer
When Earl Miller of Clemson, South Carolina and his Wild Bunch International Balloon Team roll into town almost everyone takes notice. While they may not know Earl and the members of his team, there is no mistaking his distinctively decorated Chase Commander. At first glance it reminds one of the popular posters of a few years ago promoting Earth Day and that connection is perhaps more than just coincidental.
"The idea for the artwork was to help promote a company I formed called Common Sense Conservation," says Miller. CSC is one of many entrepreneurial causes Miller is involved with. "Our message is really quite simple," says Miller. "We try to explain to people that with common sense conservation we can have it all - that there need not be confrontations between the logging industry and timber conservationists, between tuna fishermen and dolphins, between off shore drilling and cleaning up our oceans."
For Miller and his team their chase vehicle serves as an easy focal point for the delivery of their message. So unlike those Earth day posters which featured the wildlife of the world, Miller's "Wild Thang" chase commander features wildlife, industry and sportsmen living side by side in splendid utopia.
It didn't take long for Miller and crew to notice that the Wild Thang easily attracts the attention of children of all ages. With another theme of the Wild Bunch in mind, "Encouraging the Children of the World to Dream," the team developed a game people can play based on the Wild Thang's paint job. Like those cartoon drawings that challenge you to find several hidden items, Miller and his team hand out a flyer that asks "How Many Can You Find." The flyer lists 38 items for players to seek out. The items range from a variety of animals - fish, butterflies, deer, lions, alligators and more, to hunters, gas wells, drilling rigs, people, the American flag, God and Nessie - the Loch Ness serpent.
Additionally players are asked to answer three questions based on the exploits of the Wild Bunch. How many continents have we flown on? How many countries have we flown in? What ocean have we flown over?
Once completed players, especially children, can return the flyer for a "prize." "The prizes are just novelties," explains Miller, "like pencils, balloon pins, stickers, miniature American flags, just whatever we have a supply of. The purpose of the game is not to win a prize, but to challenge kids to learn something about the world around them."
Through this simple game Miller and his Wild Bunch have found a unique means of utilizing a simple paint job to promote ballooning and a great deal more.
