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ENLARGE
When the wind came up late Saturday morning, an early stop was put to giving balloon rides during the South Umpqua Valley Balloon Fest at the Myrtle Creek Airport. Carrie Smith, center, of Eugene and her crew members work together to pack up Smith’s balloon at the festival.
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ENLARGE
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Larry Garcia, 16, of Myrtle Creek, skates up a ramp while warming up for a skateboarding demonstration during Saturday’s South Umpqua Balloon Festival at the Myrtle Creek Airport.
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MYRTLE CREEK — Charlotte Cooper woke up Saturday morning thinking outside the box.
Or the balloon rather.
The Riddle resident is scared of heights and in an effort to “try new things,” she bundled up and headed to the second annual South Umpqua Valley Balloon Fest at the Myrtle Creek Airport.
She set out to cure her fear of flying, floating or drifting at any level above ground, but secretly hoped it would be too cold for the tethered hot air balloon rides.
Unfortunately for Cooper, two brightly rounded nylon tips could be seen bobbing above the morning fog from the highway and she found herself waiting in line with another first-time ballooner, Tri City’s Sharon Lozano. Lozano has always wanted to take a balloon ride and said if her short jaunt 100 feet in the air went well in Myrtle Creek, she would be game for a longer trip in the future.
Her husband Nick Lozano enthusiastically snapped pictures of his wife, but had no plans to accompany her on the ride.
“I’m not afraid of heights as long as I can keep one foot on the ground,” he said.
The last topic Sharon Lozano and Cooper wanted to discuss was the hot air balloon crash in Albuquerque, N.M., Friday that killed one man and injured another after the balloon slammed into power lines.
“We already talked about it,” said Cooper, holding up one of her hands to stave off further details.
But after climbing into a tiny basket attached to the 70-foot-tall denim and lime-green balloon, the passengers were comforted by pilot Russ Reichert.
“Ballooning is the safest means of transportation by air there is,” he said.
He and his wife Nellie Reichert own and operate Sunrise Surprise based out of Grants Pass. The couple’s rig holds 25 gallons of propane, weighs a total of 450 pounds and can be found hovering below the clouds at 22 events a year in 10 Western states.
The idea for the Fall Balloon Fest sprung from a conversation between Myrtle Creek Airport Support Group member Dean Hesse and Danielle Fedder, advertising manager for the Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino Resort in Canyonville. That led to a discussion between Fedder and Ted Romas, secretary of the Myrtle Creek/Tri City Chamber of Commerce, which offered to help.
“We wanted to promote the airport,” said Hesse.
Tickets for a balloon ride were $4. All proceeds went to help with airport improvement projects.
Static planes lined the runway and booths and food vendors occupied a grassy area at the airport. Skateboard, unicycle, radio control aircraft demonstrations and a pizza-eating contest were on the bill for the afternoon.
Romas said he would like to see the festival evolve into a two-day event next year with more balloons and airport-related activities.
Rides were offered until 11 a.m. as planned; perfect timing as the wind picked up and the balloons were packed away temporarily until the night glow display at dusk.
Lozano said she loved her ride in the $30,000 aircraft. Her dream of floating above the ground — if only for five minutes — was fulfilled.
Cooper made great strides as well; the nervous look on her face before the ride had turned to a smile as she climbed from the balloon basket.“Piece of cake — I’m glad I did it, but I don’t know if I’ll do it again,” she said. “Let’s not push it.”
Or the balloon rather.
The Riddle resident is scared of heights and in an effort to “try new things,” she bundled up and headed to the second annual South Umpqua Valley Balloon Fest at the Myrtle Creek Airport.
She set out to cure her fear of flying, floating or drifting at any level above ground, but secretly hoped it would be too cold for the tethered hot air balloon rides.
Unfortunately for Cooper, two brightly rounded nylon tips could be seen bobbing above the morning fog from the highway and she found herself waiting in line with another first-time ballooner, Tri City’s Sharon Lozano. Lozano has always wanted to take a balloon ride and said if her short jaunt 100 feet in the air went well in Myrtle Creek, she would be game for a longer trip in the future.
Her husband Nick Lozano enthusiastically snapped pictures of his wife, but had no plans to accompany her on the ride.
“I’m not afraid of heights as long as I can keep one foot on the ground,” he said.
The last topic Sharon Lozano and Cooper wanted to discuss was the hot air balloon crash in Albuquerque, N.M., Friday that killed one man and injured another after the balloon slammed into power lines.
“We already talked about it,” said Cooper, holding up one of her hands to stave off further details.
But after climbing into a tiny basket attached to the 70-foot-tall denim and lime-green balloon, the passengers were comforted by pilot Russ Reichert.
“Ballooning is the safest means of transportation by air there is,” he said.
He and his wife Nellie Reichert own and operate Sunrise Surprise based out of Grants Pass. The couple’s rig holds 25 gallons of propane, weighs a total of 450 pounds and can be found hovering below the clouds at 22 events a year in 10 Western states.
The idea for the Fall Balloon Fest sprung from a conversation between Myrtle Creek Airport Support Group member Dean Hesse and Danielle Fedder, advertising manager for the Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino Resort in Canyonville. That led to a discussion between Fedder and Ted Romas, secretary of the Myrtle Creek/Tri City Chamber of Commerce, which offered to help.
“We wanted to promote the airport,” said Hesse.
Tickets for a balloon ride were $4. All proceeds went to help with airport improvement projects.
Static planes lined the runway and booths and food vendors occupied a grassy area at the airport. Skateboard, unicycle, radio control aircraft demonstrations and a pizza-eating contest were on the bill for the afternoon.
Romas said he would like to see the festival evolve into a two-day event next year with more balloons and airport-related activities.
Rides were offered until 11 a.m. as planned; perfect timing as the wind picked up and the balloons were packed away temporarily until the night glow display at dusk.
Lozano said she loved her ride in the $30,000 aircraft. Her dream of floating above the ground — if only for five minutes — was fulfilled.
Cooper made great strides as well; the nervous look on her face before the ride had turned to a smile as she climbed from the balloon basket.“Piece of cake — I’m glad I did it, but I don’t know if I’ll do it again,” she said. “Let’s not push it.”
• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@nrtoday.com.
