Schlarman Academy Balloons Over Vermilion Ambassador Class Showing their Stuff

ABOVE: Balloonist Larry Owen offers advice to BOV Ambassador Class students Omere Harrison and Dylan Hunter.

This year’s Balloons Over Vermilion Ambassador Class is getting ready for their hosting roll at this July’s event.  Shelley Erickson’s third grade class at Schlarman Academy’s South Campus was visited Wednesday (March 29^th) morning by BOV representatives, and the class was working on balloons they are designing themselves; drawings which you just might see at Vermilion Regional Airport this July.  One student, Weston Latoz, said he’s enjoying everything about being the ambassador class.

AUDIO: It’s been very good.  I mean like, you get to create your own balloon, and get to think of stuff for the kid zone.

Maggie Hayes and Weston Latoz enjoying the classroom visit from Balloons Over Vermilion.

Right next to Weston was a busy Maggie Hayes.

AUDIO: (steve) What about you, what are you enjoying about this?  (Maggie) I like to draw and color, and make the balloons.  (steve) So you want to make some new balloons, right?  (Maggie) Ya!!

In the back to the room, Dylan Hunter said he’s designing a tribute balloon, from something he learned watching a You Tube video.

AUDIO: It’s the Red Baron from World War I.  The pilot of it was Manfred von Richthofen.  And it was a good plane, but he got shot down and died later, in World War I.

Right next to him, Omere Harrison; who admitted he’s had help designing his Pac-Man themed balloon from his younger brother.

AUDIO: And I’m not really a good drawer, it just my brother; like he’s the only one that draws a lot on my side of the family.  He’s the best drawer I know out of my whole family.  So he’s the one that really kind of inspires me at drawing, he’s good at it, so.  (steve: so he coaches you).  Yeah, he kind of coaches me.

Larry Owen, known for all his years flying the Pirate Balloon, was enjoying his time with the class.  And he said, don’t be surprised if that Pirate Balloon makes a comeback with a new pilot in 2024.

AUDIO: I just retired from ballooning, and I sold the balloon last fall.  Hopefully next year it’ll be back in here.  Some people from Indianapolis bought it.  But it’s been fun; we’ve floan for 25 years now.  It’s so much fun to be around the kids and see what they’re doing.  Today they’re drawing balloons, and everybody’s doing something a little different.  It’s just pretty cool.

Balloons over Vermilion’s Jim Anderson said these classroom visits never get old.

AUDIO: No it doesn’t.  As a matter of fact the only thing that is consistent from one class to another is the smiles that we see; from ear to ear, believe me.

Teacher Shelley Erickson admitted that she’s not a “big on homework” teacher; but her class did agree that a little more homework needs to be assigned to free up time BOV Ambassador Class work.  This year’s Balloons Over Vermilion is set for July 7th and 8th.