5 minutes with Roger Lanning, Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Committee Chairperson

HOMETOWN: Originally from Marshalltown; now Creston

JOB: Iowa State Savings Bank loan officer

FAMILY: Wife, Julie; sons Matt and Eric

AGE: 52

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED WITH BALLOON DAYS? This is my 11th year as chairperson with one year of training before that.

WHAT INITIALLY GOT YOU INTERESTED IN HOT AIR BALLOONS? I went to Indianola's (National Balloon Classic) as a kid all the time. This position allows me to have contact with balloons without the expense of owning one.

DUTIES AS CHAIRPERSON: It's a committee of about 12 people who all have different tasks to do, and I oversee them. I'm around during the weekend and making sure balloonists have everything they need and to answer any questions.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT BALLOON DAYS: The weather is usually nice; I love fall weather. And, the people. It's encouraging to see all the license plates from different states and counties.

YOUR FAVORITE BALLOON DAYS EVENT: The Saturday night balloon flight with the night glow following it

HOW EARLY DO YOU START PLANNING FOR BALLOON DAYS? There are some things I do throughout the year beginning in February, including talking to the balloonmeister and pilots. July until now would be the Christmas season of Balloon Days if it was retail.

FAVORITE PART OF RIDING IN A BALLOON: Two things. The quietness – if a deer is running through the corn, you can hear that. Also, seeing places you know like McKinley Lake and SWCC. I've flown four times, I believe.

DO YOU GET ANY TIPS FROM THE INDIANOLA BALLOON FESTIVAL? Yes, the executive director and I keep in contact, and I almost always go to theirs and observe how they do things. We exchange ideas and share things, like this year, for the first time, we will have the same balloon announcer Indianola uses.

HOBBIES: I love sports of all kinds, especially the Iowa Hawkeyes. I also like geocaching.

HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR WIFE? In college, we both drove buses together at the University of Iowa. That's how my son Matt met his wife, too.