See the world at Lisle's Eyes to the Skies
This year the Eyes to the Skies Festival is quite literally bringing a world of new attractions to Lisle's Community Park.
For the first time the event will sponsor five specialty balloons in various shapes from Humpty Dumpty to the Purple People Eater.
Among them will be Doug Grimes' Planet Earth balloon, the first balloon in the world to be entirely digitally printed.
The balloon's construction marks a substantial feat as most hot air balloons are assembled from large panels of colored cloth.
“The idea just sort of came to me,” Grimes said. “With the green movement and people starting to think more positively about sustainable living, I wanted to draw attention to the planet.”
Weighing in at roughly 400 pounds, twice that of a regular balloon, the spherical Planet Earth balloon stands 80 feet tall.
Grimes received permission to use images from NASA's Blue Marble project, designing the cloth panels of the balloon from a composite of 436 different images taken by Apollo 17 in 1972 and various other NASA satellites.
The balloon, assembled by engineers in Brazil, took nine months to complete and will make its second public appearance at the 2011 Eyes to the Skies Festival.
“It's kind of an educational tool for kids to be able to wander around and look at it,” Grimes said.
Grimes hopes the balloon can act as a giant globe and offer children an experience not available in the classroom.
All the while, balloons like Grimes' help increase the appeal of the ballooning across age groups at Eyes to the Skies.
“It's much more fun for the kids generally,” said Guy Gauthier, the event's three-time balloonmeister, the coordinator of all things balloon-related at the festival.
In years past, corporate sponsors such as Energizer have showcased unique inflatables, but budgeting conflicts have left many corporations unable to finance specialty balloons.
This year, the festival stepped up to make sure unique balloons will be on the grounds for everyone to enjoy, regardless of corporate sponsorship, Gauthier said.
Grimes, who lives in Albuquerque, N.M., also owns a store called Discover Ballooning where he sells “stuff people actually don't need but want.”
The shop is the largest hot air balloon gift store in the world and sells everything from balloon-themed jewelry to home decor. Grimes will display his wares at a booth for festival-goers to shop during Eyes to the Skies.
Though it was just completed in September, Grimes has lofty expectations for the Planet Earth balloon.
He dreams that in the future the balloon's use will extend beyond the festival circuit. Perhaps even as far as the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil where the balloon could be used in the “uniting of teams around the world.”
While nothing has been finalized yet, one thing is certain.
Spectators will not be disappointed.
“It's really cool,” Grimes said of the Planet Earth balloon. “You're going to be amazed.”