Up, up and away with the Great Midwest Balloon Fest
The glow of 50 hot-air balloons once again dazzles Olathe’s evening sky August 10-12. The Great Midwest Balloon Fest’s airships make way — weather permitting — for a sunrise fly-in balloon competition and spectacular visual displays (balloon inflation, mass ascension and glow). Entertainment isn’t all hot air; look for country music’s Clay Walker, food vendors, children’s activities and a rock-climbing wall.
Want to maximize your balloon experience? Jason Jones is your man. The festival’s balloon-ride purveyor oversees tethered balloon rides ($5 per person, 10 minutes, 100 feet into the air) and untethered balloon rides ($195 per person, 50 minutes, a few thousand feet high, complete with champagne and expansive views). Jones spoke with The Pitch about his uplifting job.
The Pitch: How did you get your start in ballooning?
Jones: My family has been in ballooning since the mid-1970s. Growing up in Iowa, I was part of the chase crew for my mom, who helped start Old World Balloonery. I went on to get my hot-air-balloon pilot license, and now I live in Overland Park and own Old World Balloonery. We take people on hot-air balloon rides in Kansas and Missouri. I also do commercial flying — I’ve done the RE/MAX balloon — and I race around the country. And I’m a schoolteacher. Kansas City weather isn’t like Albuquerque or Phoenix, where you can fly year-round. I have to have income outside of ballooning.
Walk us through what balloon riders (untethered balloon riders versus tethered balloon riders) will experience at the fest.
They’ll be from several thousand feet in the air to the tops of the corn. It’s an experience like nothing else. There’s no noise. You are part of the wind. It’s a very peaceful ride. For most people, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We want it to be memorable, comfortable, and we want people to walk away and say, “Wow, that was worth it.”
What does Kansas City look like from a balloon?
On a clear day, you can see the downtown skyline, Longview Lake, the stadiums. You can see to Hillsdale Lake and Lake La Cygne. You have tremendous visuals. People often think fall is the time to see the Midwest. But you can always see awesome colors. In the summer, the wheat is changing colors.
What are some of your most memorable balloon flights?
Flying in Red Rock State Park in Gallup, New Mexico. If the winds are just right, you can literally fly through the canyons. Flying around the cactuses in the Arizona desert would be another highlight. You’re all dirty and dusty when you’re packing up, but man, it’s a gorgeous place to fly. Or the beautiful Midwest with the patchwork quilt below.
Sounds like a job where all your troubles float away.
I can have a day where a lot of things go wrong. But if I can get in the balloon basket, the day will end well.
What do you enjoy most about the festival?
I love that it’s an event in our hometown. I get to see a lot of old friends. This isn’t an industry with hundreds of thousands of people. We are a small community, and we all look out for each other and have a lot of fun together. As the ride operator, our balloons may be the only balloons launching in the evenings at the festival, which will be pretty cool. It will be just us and the big glows.
Great Midwest Balloon Fest
August 10–12
Great Mall of the Great Plains
Interstate 35 and 151st Street, Olathe
greatmidwestballoonfest.org
Hot-air balloon festival includes balloon shows, rides, food, children’s activities and entertainment. Advance tickets from Hy-Vee cost $10 for adults and $5 for children (aged 5 and younger get in free). Tickets at the gate cost $15 for adults and $5 for children.
