 Mike BoylanMichael Boylan began flying hot air balloons in
1992 and received his commercial license in 1994. In addition to fun
flights, he flies in events in Lincoln, Peoria, Evansville and
Louisville.
Michael lives in Washington, Ill. He and his wife, Wendy, are the
proud parents of two children.
The balloon is sponsored by Illini Bank.
___
 Hank Norris
Hank and his wife, Aissa, are the owners and operators of Oh
Baby! Hot Air Balloon Co. He earned his commercial balloon license
in 1991 and became a Cameron balloon dealer in 1993.
Aissa and Hank fly mostly for fun. However, they do a few paid
rides and charity events each year. The Norris kids -- Carly, Luke
and Beau -- are often found crewing for the Oh Baby! balloon.
The balloon is sponsored by Lincoln College.
___
 Dan Walker
Dan Walker resides in Bloomington. He began helping crew balloons
in 1989 and discovered he loved the sport. By 1996 he had earned his
pilot's license and has been creating memories ever since. Dan and
his crew enjoy fun flying.
The balloon is sponsored by Springfield Clinic Lincoln.
___
 Ed Dowling
Ed is a local pilot from Lincoln. He and his wife, Marcia, have
been flying since 1974. The Dowlings' three children have grown up
crewing for his balloons and named this one Luck is in the Air
because it looks like a rainbow ascending from a pot of gold. It is
his fourth balloon.
Ed was a co-chair of the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival for
several years.
The balloon is sponsored by Logan County Bank.
___
 Max Mitchell
Max Mitchell, of Champaign, has been ballooning since 1978 and
has owned six different balloons. He has piloted many special shapes
throughout the years, including The Clown and Santa Clause.
He and his wife, Betsy, have two children, Erin and Drew. The
entire family is involved in hot air ballooning. The Mitchells
attend about 10 hot air balloon events each year.
The balloon is sponsored by Logan County Tittle Co.
___
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 Darrell Day
Darrell Day is from Rock Island. He works for the Department of
the Army, supporting our troops. He has been flying since 1981 and
runs a balloon repair station in his home
He has attended that Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival for many
years now, and it is one of his yearly highlights.
The balloon is sponsored by Deron Powell, State Farm.
___
 Rob Mezey
Rob Mezey currently lives in Duluth, Ga., where he is an engineer
for Fox Sports.
Rob's most memorable flight -- After landing near a pond, the
crew went to check with the landowners to receive permission to
retrieve the balloon. The landowner answered the door with this
shotgun in hand, asking if they were trying to steal his
prize-winning frogs!
The balloon is sponsored by Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of
Logan County.
___
 Ken Lubben
Ken Lubben is an Illinois-based pilot. He has been a professional
pilot for 20 years, has flown for a couple of Chicago-based airlines
and currently flies for NetJets, the leader in corporate aviation.
Ken has been involved in ballooning for eight years. He started
as a balloon crew member and went on to get his balloon pilot
rating. He enjoys flying at festivals in the Midwest.
The balloon is sponsored by Best Western Plus Lincoln Inn.
[Text from file received from
the Lincoln/Logan County
Chamber of Commerce]
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