318:. During the race, the balloonists attempt to "chase" a 166-foot balloon of a pink bunny after taking off from the Central Fields in Forest Park. The goal is to follow the bunny until it lands, and then each pilot drops a sandbag or birdseed bag as close as possible to the bunny balloon. The winner is decided based on which pilot's sandbag, or birdseed bag, is the closest to the bunny. Due to its urban location in the city of St. Louis, the race is considered "particularly prestigious and challenging", and participation is by invitation only. At times, landing sites have included backyards, baseball diamonds, golf courses, street intersections, and the convent grounds of the
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The first race was launched by Nikki Caplan and John O'Toole in
December 1973 at a gathering of six balloons and twenty spectators. In 1977, organization of the race passed from Caplan and O'Toole to a group of four novice balloonists who continue to coordinate the event today. These men are John
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Marlow, John
Schaumburg, Ted Staley, and Dan Schettler, who formed a ballooning group known as the Mississippi River Balloon Transit Company. This company now is the host of the largest and most well attended balloon race. On May 23, 2000, the race was honored by the
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opportunity for spectators to walk among inflated balloons illuminated by their burners. In addition to the
Balloon Glow and a
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479:"Great Forest Park Balloon Race - Energizer Bunny Birthday Celebration Takes the Cake"
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show, during the week of the event, a free public orchestral concert by the
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348:"GFPBR St. Louis – Great Forest Park Balloon Race"
16:Annual hot air ballon festival in St. Louis, US
577:Hot air balloon festivals in the United States
607:Recurring sporting events established in 1973
268:as a local legacy after a nomination by then-
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530:Flickr Group: Great Forest Park Balloon Race
314:is held on nearby Art Hill, adjacent to the
500:Mississippi RIver Balloon Transit Company.
429:Mississippi River Balloon Transit Company.
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228:http://www.greatforestparkballoonrace.com
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
455:Great Forest Park Balloon Race: Schedule
372:Great Forest Park Balloon Race: History
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274:United States House of Representatives
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45:Please improve this article by adding
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477:Moore, Betty (September 19, 2009).
408:Mississippi River Balloon Transit.
302:participate in the Balloon Glow, a
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396:Library of Congress: Balloon Race
587:Tourist attractions in St. Louis
410:"Great Forest Park Balloon Race"
298:On the day before the race, the
58:"Great Forest Park Balloon Race"
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602:1973 establishments in Missouri
312:Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
294:Balloon Glow in September 2005
237:Great Forest Park Balloon Race
142:Great Forest Park Balloon Race
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47:secondary or tertiary sources
320:School Sisters of Notre Dame
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282:No race was held in 2020.
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262:American Folklife Center
241:hot air balloon festival
160:Hot air balloon festival
597:Forest Park (St. Louis)
128:Infobox recurring event
481:. St. Louis Front Page
316:Saint Louis Art Museum
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133:considered for merging
34:relies excessively on
592:Festivals in Missouri
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431:"History of the Race"
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582:Culture of St. Louis
169:16–17 September 2022
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266:Library of Congress
249:St. Louis, Missouri
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245:Forest Park
186:Forest Park
182:Location(s)
122:‹ The
99:August 2011
571:Categories
544:90°17′06″W
541:38°38′17″N
512:2011-09-29
441:2011-09-29
415:2011-09-28
353:2023-09-14
334:References
304:night glow
216:Attendance
69:newspapers
36:references
308:fireworks
190:St. Louis
174:Frequency
131:is being
485:July 29,
458:Archived
375:Archived
326:, and a
243:held in
194:Missouri
135:. ›
124:template
272:of the
264:at the
255:History
224:Website
219:130,000
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177:Annual
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166:Dates
156:Genre
90:JSTOR
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