The Chamber SceneHUNTINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

305 Warren Street • Huntington, Indiana 46750 • (260) 356-5300 • www.huntington-chamber.com • May 2014

Thirteen hot air balloons will once again

grace the skies over Heritage Days from

Friday, June 20 through Sunday, June 22.

The Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring

the Hot Air Balloon Festival, which will in-

clude a balloon launch at 7 p.m. and a glow

at dark on Saturday, June 21, on the front

lawn of Huntington North High School as a

part of Heritage Days celebrations. Morning

and evening launches will also take place

weather permitting during the weekend.

Chris Smart of the Dream Catcher Bal-

loon Team, along with his sister Pat John-

son, is coordinating the activities and

welcomes people to attend the Saturday

evening event and “learn more about bal-

loons.” He invites people to walk up to the

balloons and explore their fascinating fea-

tures. Weather permitting hot air balloon

launches will take place from the high

school on Friday evening at 7 p.m. Saturday

morning and evening and Sunday morning

launches will take place at a site determined

by Smart based on the weather and wind

conditions. The flights will last approxi-

mately one hour and 25 to 30 people will be

in the air in each session. Smart’s brother

Dick will be the DJ for the evening.

The public is invited and encouraged to

attend the Disaster Team Car Show from 1

to 8 p.m. and the Bed Race at 7 p.m. which

also will take place on Saturday at HNHS.

The Car Show is being coordinated by Max

Kaylor and the Bed Race by Dan Juergens.

Food will be available from the Boy Scouts,

the Waggin’ Tails 4-H group and Faith

Lutheran Church of Roanoke will sell pies.

Helicopters and other emergency vehicles

will also be on display. The winner of

“Huntington’s Got Talent” will perform and

dancers from the YMCA will also be per-

forming between the Bed Race and the bal-

loon glow. To enter the Bed Race contact

Juergens at (260) 356-5214, the Chamber at

(260) 356-5300 or complete an entry form

at www.huntingtoncountychamber.com.

Balloon sponsors for the event currently

include TCU, PHD Inc., Apex, RE/Max,

Bendix, Dean Foods, Culp, BSB/ Beacon

Credit Union, CSP, WSI, Quality Inn, State

Farm-Jake Stroup and Pioneer. They are in

need of crew members for this event and

will be hosting a “learn to crew night”

which will take place prior to Heritage Days

for those interested in helping out during the

festival. Those interested in learning to be a

part of a hot air balloon crew should contact

Smart at (260) 224-0251 by May 15. Partic-

ipants must be 16 years of age to crew.

Smart began ballooning as a crew mem-

ber in 1989 and received his FAA Certified

Commercial Pilot’s license in 1992. As a

crew member under the direction of local

hot air balloonist Bill Shockley, Smart

learned the ropes of ballooning. Smart went

on to purchase his first balloon after receiv-

ing his pilot’s license. The first balloon is

the Dream Catcher, a Cameron C-80 with a

volume of 80,000 cu. ft., which stands 61

feet tall (6 stories) and is 172 feet around.

Smart said to put the volume in perspective,

80,000 cu. ft. is the equivalent of 80,000

basketballs. The wicker weave carriage, or

basket, will accommodate three or four peo-

ple and two 15 gallon propane fuel tanks for

a flight duration of one to two hours.

With full fuel tanks the basket weighs

485 pounds and the envelope weighs 200

pounds. The airborne propane heater with

an ultra-single burner generates 22 to 26

million BTU per hour and powers the bal-

loon. This is equivalent to 15,000 horse

power and enables the aircraft to lift 1,600

pounds of gross weight. A hot air balloon

flies at the speed and direction of the air cur-

rent it is in. It does not return to its take off

point to land.

The Dream Catcher has every safety fea-

ture available in hot air balloon construc-

(Story Continued on Page 2)

Hot Air Balloon Festival, car show,

bed race on Heritage Days Saturday

Shown in the photo is a hot air balloon during last year’s Heritage Days festival as it trav-els over the city of Huntington. The Hot Air Balloon Festival will be back at Huntington NorthHigh School during this year’s Heritage Days

Page 2 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce May 2014

(Story Continued From Page 1)

tion, including Kevlar nonconductive ca-

bles, instead of steel cables, throughout the

envelope. In addition to possessing superior

engineering design and high quality mate-

rials, Cameron Balloons are subjected to

rigorous pre-release testing, supported by

the fact that Cameron has never had an FAA

Airworthiness Directive, the balloon indus-

try's equivalent of a product safety recall.

Two hot air balloons are currently owned

by Smart. The material they are made of is

“Rip Stop” nylon and the second balloon is

called The Dream Racer. The Dream Racer

has a volume of 70,000 cu. ft. and is 65 feet

tall and is used mainly for competition.

Smart has logged over 1,300 hours in over

1,400 flights during his ballooning career.

Smart also requires a crew of an additional

two to three people who are “trained indi-

viduals” to assist with his flights.

Smart has been the top hot air balloon

pilot in the nation and is a five time state

champion in racing competitions. Smart is

also qualified to fly the RE/Max official hot

air balloon. Each state has its own RE/Max

balloon and it is not permitted to leave its

home state.

When someone wants a hot air balloon

ride, Smart begins to ask them questions

and formulate a plan. He asks them what

they would like to see and where they

would like to go. He says where a balloon

is going to end up is crucial to the plan. He

also said scheduling is tough as he must an-

ticipate the passengers schedule, his sched-

ule and the weather. Even when a plan is put

in place, Smart said it is subject to change

at a moment’s notice if the weather or wind

changes.

From late spring through the summer

months and into early fall, balloon flights

must be made at sunrise and just before sun-

set. During these warmer months, the flights

in the mornings must be terminated before

the sun generates thermal turbulence and

the wind speed increases. In the evening

flights cannot be made until the thermal ac-

tivity has stopped, and the wind speed has

decreased. Landings must be made before

sunset.

During the late fall, winter and early

spring, flights can take place at various

times of the day. The sun does not generate

thermal turbulence, however, the wind

alone during these months is the dominating

factor due to the rapid movement of weather

frontal activity. Passenger flights do not

take place when the surface winds are fore-

cast to increase above 7 mph as this makes

a landing a “bit more rough.” In passenger

flights the objective is to fly low and slow

to enable passengers to observe the many

sights in detail. According to Smart, “An

ideal speed to fly in a balloon is 5 to 7

mph.”

Smart explained that one of the biggest

dangers in ballooning is power lines. At

times, he has had to alter his course for

landing because of wind changes or ob-

structions below. He also explained that the

hotter the air temperature is, the less weight

he can take on the flight. In order to fly with

Smart, he asks that individuals not be over

240 pounds in weight and be able to jump

off of a chair without injuring themselves.

Smart has this requirement in place because

most of the time a balloon lands smoothly,

but every once in a while the balloon will

land a little harder than anticipated and rid-

ers must be able to simulate the motion of

jumping off of a chair at landing.

According to Smart, “Flying in a hot air

balloon is unlike any other experience of a

lifetime. From the moment of arriving at the

launch site, the excitement will start to

build. It will continue to build as the hun-

dreds of yards of fabric stretched out on the

ground start to rise and take shape as the in-

flator fan starts to purr. As the fabric rises,

the beautiful color design on the hot air bal-

loon becomes evident, and its enormous

size, larger than a two story house, rises

above. After, the pilot has completed all pre-

flight safety checks, riders are assisted into

the basket by the flight crew. From that mo-

ment on, the experience will live forever in

the rider’s memory. Without a feeling of

motion, the balloon will gently lift above

the trees. Any feeling of fear or sensation of

height a rider may have had quickly disap-

pears as the trees and fields transform into

a pattern like a carpet at the rider’s feet.”

The duties of the flight crew start before

they arrive at the launch site. These duties

include refueling the propane tanks and

loading all items on the inventory check list.

At the launch site, they are responsible for

unloading and layout of the envelope, bas-

ket and inflator fan. During the inflation,

each crew member is assigned a specific

task. While performing these tasks they,

along with the pilot, inspect the envelope,

rigging the basket to insure that all equip-

ment is airworthy and safe. They then assist

the passengers in boarding. After the bal-

loon is launched, the flight crew follows the

flight path of the balloon in the chase vehi-

cle. During the entire flight the pilot and

crew are in constant contact via radio. They

keep the pilot advised of any change in sur-

face wind speed and direction, power line

and tower locations and any other informa-

tion that could be important to the pilot to

insure a safe flight.

Before landing, the pilot will request the

flight crew to evaluate a particular location

as a possible landing site to determine if

there are any hazards at the location he can-

not see from his view of approach. When a

suitable site has been selected, the crew

chief contacts the landowner and receives

permission before the landing is made. The

flight crew immediately proceeds to the

landing site and assists the pilot during the

landing if necessary.

Each time Smart’s balloons land safely,

he offers up a toast with his passengers.

This tradition dates back to the days when

celebrating a good balloon landing meant

walking away from it. He also recites The

Ballooner’s Prayer, “The winds have wel-

comed you with softness. The sun has

blessed you with its warm hands. You’ve

flown so high and so well that God has

joined you in your laughter and set you back

in the loving arms of Mother Earth.”

The first free flight made by a man in a

hot air balloon dates back to November 21,

1783 in Paris, France. Two brothers, Joseph

and Etienne Montgolfier, built the first hot

air balloon when they discovered that a fire

under a bag would cause it to rise in the air.

At first their theory was that the more

smoke and foul odors in the smoke, the

greater the lifting power that fire would

generate. They built fires using straw, wool,

old leather shoes, rotten meat and dead an-

imals to generate good lifting power. Even-

tually, it was determined that the lifting

power was related to the amount of heat the

fire generated.

Smart loves to fly hot air balloons. He

commented that each time he goes up in a

balloon it feels like his first ride; each flight

is just as exhilarating as the last. To sched-

ule a ride contact Smart at (260) 224-0251.

Hot Air Balloon Festival, car show, bed race continued

May 2014 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce Page 3

MAYBusiness of the Month

Kline’s CPA Group

Kline’s CPA Group, 2826 Theater Avenue, was chosen as the Business of the Monthfor May by the Chamber Ambassadors. The Ambassadors nominated Kline’s CPAGroup because of their long-standing membership and support of the Chamber alongwith their many years of serving individuals and businesses in Huntington County.

Shown in the front row, from left, all from Kline’s CPA Group are Brenda Jones, TrentWolfe, Brandy Swope, owner; Mark Parker, owner; Audra Uher, Alyssa Hurlburt, SherryRidgeway, Christi Heffelfinger and Rhonda Beaver along with Belinda Clancy, MarkleHealth & Rehabilitation and Chamber Ambassador. Back row, from left, are JoDeaneKnowles, TCU; Gene Snowden, Real Living Ness Bros.; Davin Smith, Bowers BrewerGarrett & Wiley LLP; Paula Whiting, Lake City Bank; Les Graham, Evolv; Misty Harri-son, Community Link Federal Credit Union; Michelle Crone, Wells Fargo Bank; SteveGodfroy, Perfection Wheel and Terry Miller, Real Living Ness Bros. all Chamber Am-bassadors. The Chamber would like to congratulate Kline’s CPA Group as being se-lected as Business of the Month for May.

Board of Directors

2014Chairman of the Board

Stefan Poling

Rollo Harter & Poling LLP

Chairman of the Board Elect

Michael Zahn

First Federal Savings Bank

Treasurer

Kay Schwob

Huntington University

Assistant Treasurer

Ryan Lemon

Novae Corporation

Arthur Daronatsy

Dean Foods

Trace Hinesley

Huntington County Community School

Corporation

Lori Mickley

Bendix Commercial Vehicle

Systems, LLC

Lee Pasko

iAB Financial Bank

Jeremy Penrod

Walgreens

Mike Perkins

Parkview Huntington Hospital

Foundation

Steve Petry

W.A. Zimmer Co.

Joe Santa

TrophyCenter Plus

Sandra Seacott

Teachers Credit Union

Adam Stroup

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance

Randy Warner

Terry L. Reckard CPA

STAFF

Steve Kimmel

Executive Director

Ellen Prange

Bookkeeper

Angie Garcia

Office Administrator

A structure built by CME Corporation of

Fort Wayne, has been honored by Varco

Pruden Buildings, one of the nation’s

largest providers of metal building systems.

CME Corporation has been named to

Varco Pruden’s 2014 Hall of Fame for the

Two EE’s Winery in Roanoke. The 6,000

square foot winery and tasting room was

recognized as the “Best” in the retail cate-

gory and was designed by Nathan Moore,

AIA, of CME.

The highly competitive Hall of Fame

Awards are presented annually to the inde-

pendent authorized Varco Pruden builders

whose work reflects outstanding integration

of building systems, products, architectural

appearance, end use and design. With over

1,000 independent builders in the United

States and

Canada, they

are presented

for a range of

i n d u s t r i a l ,

commercial,

retail and municipal projects. “The Hall of

Fame is proof positive that our builders con-

tinue to challenge the boundaries by seek-

ing new and innovative ways to prove that

pre-engineered buildings are the system of

choice,” said Chuck Haslebacher, president

of Varco Pruden.

“We are excited to share this recognition

with everyone at Two EE’s who allowed us

to participate in their vision,” said Mark

Hellinger, president of CME. Visit

www.Twoees.com.

CME Corporation receives national award

Page 4 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce May 2014

May 2014 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce Page 5

Thomas E. Carnes, CPA

430 N. Jefferson St., P.O. Box 266Huntington, IN 46750-0266

tecarnes@carnescompanycpa.com

carnescompanycpa.com

“We Love Small Business”Tel: 260.356.8888

Fax: 260.356.8873

Welcome New MembersFabric and Friends Quilt Shoppe

126 West Second Street, Roanoke, IN 46783

Jimmy’s Barbershop & Shave1213 South Briant Street, Huntington, IN 46750

Three students went on to win a $300 scholarship from theHuntington County Chamber of Commerce. Winning the schol-arships this year are front row, from left, Elizabeth Freck, Family& Consumer Science; Alex Easley, Business and Doyle King, In-dustrial Technology. Pictured with the students are back row, fromleft, Tracey Shafer, superintendent of Huntington County Com-munity School Corporation; Stefan Poling, Rollo Harter & PolingLLP and chairman of the Huntington County Chamber of Com-merce board and Chad Daugherty, principal, Huntington NorthHigh School.

The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce held its Stu-

dent Awards Day on Monday, April 14. The event was held at

the Habecker Dining Commons on the campus of Huntington

University. The winners of the awards and scholarships are se-

lected each year by their teachers. The teachers this year were

Curt Hackney, Dave Blocker and Betsy Motter.

The Chamber honors students each year from 15 different dis-

ciplines during its April board meeting. The Chamber also

awards three students with a $300 scholarship. This year the stu-

dents recognized were Doyle King, CAD Mechanical, sponsored

by PHD; Houston Lehman, Project Lead the Way, sponsored by

Shuttleworth; Alex Riggers, Transportation, sponsored by Ben-

dix Vehicle Systems and Parker Brundige, Manufacturing, spon-

sored by UTEC.

Also honored were Corbin Clarke, Construction, sponsored

by Builder’s Mart; Daniel Zahm, Vocation Automotive, spon-

sored ty LKQ- Transwheel; Brooke Lengerich, I.C.E., sponsored

by Schneider Electric/Square D. Co. and Dilan Buuck, Machine

Trades, sponsored by UTEC.

Other students recognized were Kristen Dyson, Accounting,

sponsored by First Federal Savings Bank; Leah Ness, Informa-

tion Technology, sponsored by Bowers Brewer Garrett & Wiley

LLP; Alex Easley, business, sponsored by Bippus State Bank;

Josi Strange, Early Childhood Education, sponsored by TCU;

Elizabeth Freck, Family & Consumer Science, sponsored by

Kim Haneline of RE/Max Professional Group; Blake Brown,

Family & Consumer Science, sponsored by Huntington Univer-

sity and Lauren McCullough, Health Services, sponsored by

Miller’s Merry Manor.

Tipton HouseA Senior Living Community by Assisted Living Concepts, Inc.

Office: (260) 356-2028

Cell: (260) 609-0649

Fax: (260) 356-2087

mmuchow@alcco.com

460 Forks Of The Wabash Way

Huntington, IN 46750

www.alcco.com

Mindy MuchowResidence Sales Manager

Fifteen students honored

on Student Awards Day

Select My Business Card

Bill Busch

Business Consultant

1102 Chestnut Hills Parkway, Suite 101, Fort Wayne, IN 46814T: 260.436.3878 F: 260.436.7692 C: 260.409.0870TF: 800.837.4787 E: bill.busch@xcelhr.com SKYPE: billbusch2www.xcelhr.com

Select My Business Card

Brenda Kirkpatrick Dan Stoffel

Ryan Briggs

Business Account Executive

720 Taylor StreetFort Wayne, IN 46802Office: 260-409-4473; Fax: 260-458-5256ryan.briggs@cable.comcast.comwww.business.comcast.com

305 Warren StreetHuntington, IN 46750

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Mark Your

Calendars

Tri Kappa Follies 2014

“AYE AYE KAPPA Follies 15”Thursday to Saturday, May 1, 2 & 3

Huntington North High School Auditorium

After HoursThursday, May 8, 4 to 6 p.m.

Quality Inn (formerly Northview Inn & Suites)

2820 Hotel Avenue

Huntington County Senior EXPOThursday, May 22, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Huntington University Fieldhouse

Heritage Days 2014Wednesday, June 18 through Sunday, June 22

Downtown Huntington and

Huntington North High School

ADDRESS SERVICEREQUESTED

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(260) 356-4726

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