by Gary Rominger
There are more and more balloon events becoming associated with small town festivals. So far this year I have participated in the Almond Festival, the Apricot Festival, and the Collage of Culture, and will slowly wend my way through the alphabet of events, ending with WHAMOBASS in November. These celebrations are small-town America at its best, and are quickly becoming my favorite ballooning events.
The 4th Annual Collage of Culture was held in Madras, Oregon on May 17. Only thirteen balloons were registered for the event; we sometimes have that many show up at the local launch field when nothing is scheduled. The Collage of Culture is different though. There is only one balloonist living in Madras, and another two down the road in Redmond, so the people get excited about thirteen balloons lifting off from the elementary school game field. Pilots from Central California to Central Washington traveled up to 550 miles just to participate.
Madras, named after the city in India, lies in north-central Oregon, north of Bend and Redmond on Highway 97. The town boasts about 4,000 residents, many of them of Native American or Hispanic heritage. Add in the many other national extractions and there is good reason to celebrate the cultural diversity of the area. Many of the students in the local schools come from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation eleven miles northwest of Madras.
The Collage of Culture is a one day event, and an expensive one to mount. Yet no parking or admission fees are charged, and everything except food and drink is free. It begins with a balloon ascension at 6:00 am and ends with a glow or burn some fifteen hours later. Balloons are an important part of the day's festivities.
The hot air balloons are sponsored by local businesses, organizations, or individuals Ñ each paying $650 to bring in a pilot and balloon. Many other sponsors pay for a teen activity pavilion, children's game and activity area, an arts and crafts exhibit, and the stage entertainment. From 9 am to 10 pm the stages are alive with music, dance and exhibitions.
Some pilots arrive a few days early to participate in an educational program sponsored by the Collage Committee. Schools within a 50 mile radius of Madras get school assemblies and a chance for the students to see an inflated balloon close-up. Of course students are encouraged to attend the Collage event on Saturday with their family.
On Friday evening the balloonists, sponsors, artists and organizers gather in a large white tent on the festival grounds for the Balloonmeister's Reception. Local restaurants donate food and beverages; the pilots sign in, receive their gift packs and banners, and meet their sponsors. As the Collage is held on a school facility, alcoholic beverages are verboten, so the sparkling cider flows not only at the reception, but throughout the weekend.
Sunrise on Saturday came at 5:36 am. Balloonmeister Mark Stearns called the pilot briefing for 5:30 with launch by 6:00. Met Officer Dan Mallory gave good news: gentle breezes from the south until 9 am. The soccer field at the school quickly came alive with ripples of colored nylon as the balloons were laid out and inflated. Passengers on board, a quick briefing, and a thumbs-up from the Balloonmeister put the individual balloons into the air. It is all for fun - no competition to take away from the pure joy of flying.
The early part of the flight was uneventful as the balloons gently moved north, out over spacious farm lands. Many pilots landed to change passengers, and lifted off again. However, the winds picked up long before 9 o'clock and all but two balloons had tip and drag landings in a large open field. Pilot Mike Parker launched from the heliport of his sponsor, the local hospital. Unlike the festival launch balloons, he flew for one-and-three-quarters hours and had a gentle stand-up landing. What a difference a few miles can make!
The high point of the Collage is the headliner concert on Saturday night. The concert is supposed to be followed by an after dark balloon show, but again this year the winds did not cooperate. Balloons were lined up on each side of the stage and provided a "flame" show, which delighted the audience as much as any glow. Only one pilot dared tempt the wind gods and inflate. Another pilot, David Stewart, elected not to participate, choosing instead to explore a nearby state park. Bad decision! Dave didn't fly on Sunday morning; he was the guest of Mike Parker's sponsor, suffering from a rattlesnake bite.
Although the Collage event is over, the balloons launch again on Sunday, and Sunday morning's pilot briefing brought good news. The winds had reversed and it did not appear they would increase. Once again the balloons lifted off, this time headed south. Three hops with six passengers and gentle stand-up landings made the flight pleasurable.
It has to be more than pleasure to make the event special. What brings pilots back? It helps that the committee respects the needs of pilots and returns the entry fee, provides a $100 stipend for each school program presented, offers $250 in show-up money to offset motel and food costs, and provides propane. Glowing adds $50 to the purse, or a burn only without inflation is worth $25. Like pleasure, money alone does not a great ballooning experience make. The community at large has a lot more to do with it.
I drove to Madras alone with no idea of who would crew. My sponsors, the Madras High School Student Council on Saturday and the MHS Army Junior ROTC program on Sunday, doubled as crew and made the weekend more than enjoyable. Students from the ROTC program helped with school programs on Thursday and Friday, filled in when not enough council kids showed on Saturday, and made my Sunday flight especially fun.
It is neither the money nor the fun I will most remember about this small town rally Ñ it is a young man. Cody Brown, a 16 year old ROTC cadet, took an instant interest in the balloon and learned quickly the basics of crewing. After two school inflations I had him working as my crew chief, and on Saturday allowed him control of the blast valve much of the flight, which continued remarkably level even though his inaugural flight. His reward: Cody was invited to be on my crew at the Boise River Festival. My reward: He accepted, and his parents agreed to let him make the trip.
To Madras and the hundreds of other small towns with balloons as a part of their local festivals: You represent the America in which I want to fly, and live. If young men like Cody are any example, our country, and the sport of ballooning, will be in good hands in the years to come. Thanks, small-town America.
