Race creates a colorful sky

By STEVE JONES
Staff Writer

It's time again to color the sky.
The Great American Balloon Race is scheduled to lift off Friday night with 30 to 40 hot-air balloonists competing.
Robert Wagner, general manager of the Hometown Radio Network and race organizer, said he encourages the entire community to come view the aerial extravaganza.
"The balloon race is just spectacular," he said. "When 35 balloons are taking off, there is just so much color in the sky. It's a great family event and just like everything else over the weekend, it has no admission fee."
Wagner, who was assisted by Rick Schoebel in organizing the race, said that the gates to Stuart-Powell Field at Danville-Boyle County Airport will open at 5 p.m. and takeoff is set for between 7:30 and 8 p.m., when wind conditions are primed for ballooning. Wagner encouraged spectators to come out early to picnic or watch the race participants prepare their balloons. Several brass bands are also expected to perform during the race.
Contrary to what many believe, the race is not about time or order of finish. 
It is actually is flown in a "hare-and-hound" format in which the lead, or "hare," balloon, flown by race coordinator Brian Beasley, takes off first and flies for about 45 minutes before landing. After the hare lands, an "X" is placed on the ground to mark its point of touchdown. The competing "hound" balloons attempt to follow the hare's movements in the air and make adjustments to reach the same touchdown point. As the racers approach the marked X, they throw a sack of bluegrass seed weighing about three ounces toward the X. 
The balloonist who throws the seed sack closest to the original hare landing point is the winner.
Bob Corey, of Louisville, has won the last three festival races and will go for the elusive "4-peat" this year. Corey, who has raced balloons for 28 years, said he's been able to catch all the breaks in his past victories.
"There are plenty of pilots capable of winning," he said. "I wish I could say that there is some magic skill level I have, but I've really just been lucky." 
Last year, Corey's final toss landed just over one foot from the target.
Corey attributed his good fortune to the way he feels about the community holding the event. He said he stopped entering an annual race in Danville, Ill., after several bad performances and decided to focus on Danville, Ky., where he's always in the hunt.
"I quit going (to Illinois) and I never really like that town," he said, "but I've always had an affection for Danville, (Ky.,) and it's always treated me well in the race."
Beasley, who runs Balloon Odyssey in Louisville, said that wind speed and direction are the real variables in flying balloons. He said many racers like to fly closely behind the hare balloon, mimicking its every movement, while others lag behind and observe how the wind up ahead is affecting the lead pack. 
"It really doesn't matter if you're first or if you're last," Beasley said.
The winner will receive a $1,000 prize. Second place will get $700, third place $400, fourth place $250, and fifth place $150. Corey, who is a single father, said last year's prize money helped pay his son's tuition at the University of Kentucky.
Wagner said he hopes the race can proceed as scheduled on Friday but that high winds or rain could cause the event to be postponed to 7:30 p.m. Sunday.