Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival is growing as a joint effort combining area businesses, non-profit organizations and community volunteers.  People and sponsorships from all three segments of the community have shared their resources and skills to make the second annual hot air balloon event an even better production than the 2003 version.

For the second year, MidFirst Credit Union has become the primary sponsor.  The Middletown Journal will be the official information source and produce a newspaper insert to be used as the official program of the event.  Other major sponsors include the City of Middletown/Convention and Visitors Bureau, Middletown Community Foundation, Bank One/Barnitz Fund, 910 WPFB/The Rebel 105.9, www.SELECTION.com, Dillman Foods, The Manchester Inn & Conference Center, US Bank and approximately 30 sponsors for individual balloons.

Chair people are donating their business knowledge along with their time to the Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival. Volunteer business and community leaders are now making arrangements for all aspects of the Festival scheduled for July 23, 24 and 25, 2004 at Smith Park in downtown Middletown. 

Ohio Challenge chairpeople and their areas of responsibility are:

General Chairman –                  Dan Sack, The Fourth R of Southwestern Ohio

Past Chairman/Finance –          Dave Pearce, Bank One NA

Pilots/Competition –                 Dr. Mark Frazer, Summit Family Physicians

                                                James Wannemacher, Triple J Investments

                                                Arts & Crafts Vendors -           Lisa Pearce, Cincinnati Financial

Balloon Discovery Center -       Sarah Brown, Middletown City Schools

City of Middletown

Coordination -              Ginger Smith & Maria Langendorf

Security-                                  Mark Hoffman & Rodney Muterspaw, Middletown Division of Police

Site Communications-               Rodney Hale, Trenton Chief of Police

Data Collection -                      Susan Phillips, Rogers Jewelers

Entertainment -                         Denise Pressler, First National Bank

First aid -                                 Paul Lolli & Tom Snively, Middletown Division of Fire

Food Vendors -                       Beth Knueppel, AK Steel

Hospitality Tent/Receptions       Ginger Bruggeman, United Way;

                                                Pat Hayes, Community Volunteer

Information Booth/

Volunteer Check In                  Frances Sack, Life Span

Landowner Relations - Walter Leap, Leap Realtors

Parking -                                  David Pearce, Bank One, NA; 

                                                Hal Pearce, Community Volunteer

Pilot Gifts -                               Cindy Newman

Site Layout/Staging                   Tiger Jones, Community Volunteer

Souvenir Sales-                        Karen Carroll, The Chamber of Commerce;

                                                Carole Schul, Community Volunteer

Sponsorships -                         Rick Pearce, The Fourth R of Southwestern Ohio

Signage -                                  Sam Ashworth, inTown Magazine

Publicity -                                 Ann Mort, inTown Magazine

Event Coordinator -                  Kathy Venturella, The Chamber of Commerce

Almost all members of the steering committee are veterans of the 2003 Ohio Challenge or the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championships held in Middletown in the early 1990s.

Anyone who wishes to join any of the committees or provide sponsorship for a balloon should contact Kathy Venturella at 513-422-4551 or email to kathy@thechamberofcommerce.org.   

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