As the community’s newspaper, we take our job seriously at the Journal-Tribune as the local news gatherer and the entity that preserves the daily history of the area.
Over the years, Marysville and Union County have grown from a small farm town and rural area back in the 1800s to a region that is now looking to be the center of the autonomous driving movement nearly 200 years later. When we reflect on how the community has evolved, all signs point to the quality of people who have resided here.
We recently heard from one of those residents, Esther Kunkle, a longtime Richwood resident who is a retired chamber of commerce secretary and former balloon rally organizer. She wrote a letter that took us back a few years to the early 1990s when she was involved with planning and putting together the balloon festival at the Union County Fairgrounds with then economic/chamber director Mike Campbell. Although the original event was held for several years at the Union County Airport, it relocated for a while to the fairgrounds, before moving back to the airport, where it is held today.
She went on to talk about how the balloon festival, now 43 years old, has grown, and how much she appreciates the current group’s efforts to continue what has become a community staple and Midwest regional attraction. Along those lines, we continue to hear from people, some first time attendees, who appreciate the experience of being able to ride in a helicopter, a B-25 or a hot-air balloon, or listen to one of their favorite bands right here in Marysville, Ohio.
Mrs. Kunkle’s letter also reminded us that even though the local balloon festival leadership has changed over the years, the mission is still the same – to help support local charities.
In 1975, the chamber of commerce, led by Jack Scott along with the help of John Feenstra, took on the task of putting on the inaugural All Ohio Balloon Rally and Air Show so local residents could have an event right in their backyard that they would normally have to travel out of the area to experience. Some years later, Jeff Hatfield and members of the Marysville Lions Club took over that role, but it wasn’t long before it went back to the chamber. Since 2006, the staff of the Journal-Tribune has been in charge, and it is now called the All Ohio Balloon Fest (AOBF).
By listing the progression of leadership, we in no way mean to ignore the thousands of volunteers who over the years have given their time and talents to help build and maintain this tremendous event. At times, it has been a titanic struggle to keep it going. Nor do we ignore the tens of thousands of people who have attended. It is the tireless efforts of everyone involved for the last four-plus decades that have helped make it what it is today. It is not just someone writing a check.
The current organizers will continue these efforts as the city and county both head into their bicentennial celebrations the next two years, the city in 2019 and the county in 2020. We have already been in contact with some new balloons and bands that will hopefully elevate the AOBF to a new level that is in line with and befitting both 200th birthday galas.
For more information about the 2019 balloon fest, interested persons can keep checking online at www.allohioballoonfest.com.