After 18 solid hours of work…
With our 5 man international crew leading the way…
With our 6 person Conner Prairie balloon crew…
With 60+ amazing volunteers…
With 372 bags of sand (45 lbs. each)…
With 210,000 cubic feet of helium…
Conner Prairie has successfully inflated a giant, tethered balloon for our 1859 Balloon Voyage! In fact, tied with a few others, this is the biggest passenger gas balloon in the world - there are none bigger. And we get to have one right here our the backyard.
Inflation day was amazing. We started at 8 am and worked until a little past midnight. The weather was absolutely perfect – sunny with little wind and 70 degrees. Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Everyone has definitely been sore from all of the lifting and pulling and pushing, but it was worth it. The sight of the balloon from the Allisonville Road, from the Welcome Center, from the prairie, it is so impressive and awesome.
Many of us have put in almost 40 hours in the last three days - after inflation, we completed the assembly of the system and began our on-site training. I want to specifically thank the international crew from Aerophile (the manufacturer) for their expertise, wisdom, and patience as they guided us through the process. Two Frenchmen, Erik and Jacques; two Germans, Michael and Johannes; and one Englishman, Gary. They have been fabulous and we certainly couldn't have accomplished any of it without them. They, too, have been very pleased with Conner Prairie. Installation at other sites has taken up to 2 weeks, but we've been able to accomplish it in just three or four days. Gary will be with us for the next two weeks, training all of our staff to safely and flawlessly operate this absolutely unique operation.
If you haven't been out to see it, or at least drive by, please do! We'd love to show it off and talk about it until the cows come home. The next two weeks will be filled with training, as well as the installation of the interactive exhibit that will tell the story of John Wise's historic flight in 1859, the entire inspiration for our experience. We can't wait to share that story and cap it off with a breathtaking view of the the prairie from 350 ft.
I've learned a lot of unique skills since coming to Conner Prairie three years ago - milking cows, plowing fields, how to operate a 19th century electrostatic machine - but learning to fly a giant tethered balloon takes it to new heights.
June 6 is the Grand Opening. Hope to see you in the skies very soon!
Adam
Last week was National Volunteer Week. A short history....National Volunteer Week began in 1974 when President Richard Nixon signed an executive order establishing the week as an annual celebration of volunteering. Since then, every U.S. President has signed a proclamation promoting it.
Conner Prairie couldn’t operate without the help of volunteers. We have more than 375 people who help throughout the year with everything from driving tractors for hayrides during Country Fair and passing out treats during Prairie Tykes, to helping with mailings and greeting guests. Community organizations also support us by encouraging staff to volunteer.
Last Saturday, April 25, Comcast volunteered in a huge way. Comcast Cares Day is a national event for Comcast. Each of their local offices chooses a non-profit entity within their community and sends employees and their families to spend several hours volunteering. This year, they chose Conner Prairie. Approximately 310 people worked 3 hours each, donating a total of 930 hours to Conner Prairie! That’s comparable to the time a part-time person works in a year—now that’s impressive! In addition to volunteering their time, they also donated 40 shovels and 40 rakes.
While they were here, they:
- built a beach for Adventure Camp
- cleared brush and trash from 2 trails
- built a canoe take-out area for Adventure Camp
- cleared the Adventure Camp challenge course, the Amphitheater and Lilly Cabin area
- built 240 feet of Civil War fence
- pulled 50 pounds of garlic mustard weed
- spread 20 yards of mulch
- cleaned a few hundred event chairs
- And filled 400 sandbags that will be used May 5 during balloon inflation day for 1859 Balloon Voyage.
Thanks, Comcast!