GROUNDED

Creston’s 40th annual Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Days event spent most of the weekend grounded because of weather. High winds and rain storms pushed through south central Iowa forcing all but one event from taking off.

All four scheduled competitive flights were cancelled, but Night Glow Saturday evening allowed a few pilots to at least get their balloons off the ground – even if they were tethered.

Roger Lanning, Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Days chairperson was thrilled that the weather cooperated enough to hold at least one event.

“It was fantastic because I, first off, didn’t think we had a chance at Night Glow and then I didn’t know that that many would glow,” Lanning said.

“It was a good show and we got them in there and the winds were favorable and we got them down before the winds came up again.”

All balloonists who participated in night glow were entered into a raffle Sunday morning. Three winners were chosen receiving $50, $75 and $100 for third through first places.

Jeremy Rubin took third, Aaron Foelske took second and Rick Goosey took home the grand prize.

Decisions to fly ultimately came down to Balloonmeister Jim Gebhart. Gebhart struggled with the decision to keep all the competitive flights grounded, but knew it was in all the pilots’ best interests.

“(Saturday) night we put them on hold and had that window of opportunity and made that decision if I find somebody to fly, let’s fly,” said Gebhart. “And that’s how it all went. It’s a tough call.”

For the event as a whole, scattered rain showers appeared Saturday and Sunday mornings producing lightning and moving cloud ceilings down too low. Friday evening and Saturday afternoon winds played the biggest factor for grounding balloonists.

Weatherman Dale Dommer described Friday and Saturday afternoon’s weather best with a long, drawn-out “whoosh” sound during each day’s pilot meeting.

Gebhart explained why the final decision not to fly was made over the course of the weekend.

“When the atmosphere tightens up, the gradients, the winds don’t subside, so with the rain clouds popping around it was too unstable, the weather,” said Gebhart.

With the rain especially, the cloud ceiling was too low for pilots to fly comfortably.

“(Sunday) morning the ceiling was too low for us,” said Gebhart. “We have a requirement to be a certain height below the clouds and we didn’t have that coming out.”

Even with the weather forecast showing inclement weather prior to the weekend, the event still turned out 31 balloonists in all. One less than 2016.

Lanning is continually impressed with the turnout to Creston’s Balloon Days. With the event falling in September, the weather has now grounded six weekends over the course of the event’s 40-year history.

However, Lanning does admit that it is getting harder to draw attendee’s each year.

“It’s getting harder to get balloonists; there are fewer around,” said Lanning. “But, for a town our size, we do real well. There are other events that don’t draw this many.”

Lanning and Gebhart both thanked the balloonists, the sponsors of the event and the farmers who allow the balloonists on their land when they do fly.

Next year’s event will be held Sept. 14-16.