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56 the Great Forest Park Balloon Race • Presented by PNC Bank

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56 the Great Forest Park Balloon Race • Presented by PNC Bank The first modern day balloon race held in St. Louis History of Ballooning Continued from page 54 - ultimately becoming what we know as The Great The Second Gordon Bennett Trophy Cup Race Forest Park Balloon Race - was founded by renowned was held on Oct. 21, 1907, and along with a visit by balloonists Nikki Caplan and John O’Toole in 1973. President Theodore Roosevelt and the Veiled Prophet There were six balloons and a dozen or so spectators. Parade and Ball, helped make October, “the greatest In 1976 the small event was transformed into the month in St. Louis since the World’s Fair.” beginning of a St. Louis tradition by Don Sarno and Henry Fett, whose passion and hard work set the The St. Louis Aero Club also sponsored an airship stage for the Race to come. In 1977 Sarno and Fett contest in conjunction with the Gordon Bennett partnered with the whimsical Mississippi River Balloon Trophy Cup Race of 1907, and Capt. Thomas Transit Company – four enthusiastic young balloon Baldwin, who thrilled St. Louis crowds in 1904 with pilots and partners: John Marlow, Dan Schettler, John his California Arrow, brought two airships. Another Schaumburg and Ted Staley – who took over the Race contestant who entered two airships was a young man from Don and Henry – and have continued and grown from Columbus, Ohio, named Cromwell Dixon. this beloved tradition as a free event for the St. Louis Dixon, who at 15 billed himself as the “youngest community. inventor and aeronaut of experience in the world,” built both the Dixon Airship and the Sky Bicycle with Don and Henry remained Race partners for seven his own hands, although his mother had sewn the more years until 1984. The MRBTC boys, Ted, seams of the envelopes for him. This amazing young Dan, John and John have managed the balloon race aeronaut was undoubtedly the sentimental favorite exclusively for the last 35 years. of the people of St. Louis. The German balloon, The 1977 race was held on Cricket Field and had an Pommern, was declared the winner of that race with a attendance of approximately 2000 spectators. There distance of 873.4 miles to Asbury Park, New Jersey. were 28 balloons. By 1984 The Race moved to the golf St. Louis played host several times to the Gordon course. There were 38 balloons and the crowd was Bennett Trophy Cup Race, once in 1910 and the last estimated at 8 -10,000 people. time in 1929. In the intervening years, many balloon Don Sarno played a very important role in growing races were held in St. Louis and the big bags of The Race in the early years. His most important hydrogen or coal gas were a common sight over the city accomplishment was in convincing Bob Hyland of as they rose out of Forest Park and other launch sites. KMOX to not just cover the race but to sponsor a National and international balloon races were held balloon in the race. Don flew the KMOX balloon almost annually, and all of this activity may have at the race and at numerous other events and galas led to the establishment of Scott Field in 1917 as a around the city. Hyland became a huge supporter of lighter-than-air training base. It certainly led to the the race and KMOX continues to be a Race sponsor to establishment of Lambert Field, when St. Louis Aero this day. Club became the only aero club in the United States The Fab Four (as Marlow, Schettler, Shaumburg to possess its own permanent aviation field in 1910, and Staley were later dubbed) continued on to grow Lambert Field/Kinloch Park. The Great Forest Park Balloon Race to incredibly Ballooning continued in St. Louis into the 1930s, new heights - introducing the tremendously popular but with the crash of the Hindenburg, lighter-than-air Balloon Glow (aka: The Gaslight Glow) in 1991, being activity drifted into oblivion here as well as throughout honored to have the Race inducted into the Library of the rest of the country. Congress in 2000 and hailing as the most well-attended single-day balloon race in the country. Annually, nearly With the development of the hot-air balloon in the 150,000 spectators enjoy the Race and Glow with 1950s by Ed Yost, Don Piccard and other pioneers, the thousands more “oooohing” and “ahhhing” at the numbers of balloons flying began to multiply. The first beautiful balloons taking flight across the Great St. modern-day balloonists in the area in more than 30 Louis area. years were Nikki Caplan and Robert Esch, and John The history of the Race is rich with good friends O’Toole. At that time there were about 200 balloons th — in the world. Most people had never seen a hot-air and great family traditions. Now in its 45 year, The balloon. They were still truly unique. Great Forest Park Balloon Race is the second oldest in the United States, second only to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Continued on page 58 56 The Great Forest Park Balloon Race • Presented by PNC Bank.
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