Cleveland Balloon Festival 1986
Balloons! The scenery is so beautiful. What could be the problem with balloons?
It all started when the non-profit organization United Way raised funds for charitable purposes and attempted to break the world record for the largest balloon launch.
Approximately 2,500 volunteers (mostly college students) worked day and night in a fenced-off area under a loose net roof in the town square. United Way is raising $1 for every two balloons that are inflated.
The fused balloons looked like a giant, wriggling Poké Ball.
Unfortunately, a storm was approaching, and launching the balloon in bad weather was not planned.
So they changed their plan and decided to launch the balloons earlier. Despite the earlier launch and less-than-ideal weather, 1,429,643 balloons were released into the air, and this feat was recognized by the Guinness World Records in 1988 .
Ah, but nothing is easy in Cleveland.
A few hours later, the spectacular sight of the terminal tower filled with beautiful helium balloons was ruined by wind and rain, causing the balloons to fall to the ground sooner than expected.
As the saying goes, what goes up must come down ...
The local airport was closed for 30 minutes after the balloons fell, and several car accidents occurred, particularly when drivers swerved to avoid them. The owner of a luxury Arabian horse, startled by the falling balloons, sued United Way for $100,000 in damages and ultimately won the case.
Complaints reached Canada as well, where beachgoers were seen walking through a sea of balloons.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard blamed the balloon for making the search for the missing boater on Lake Erie more difficult. Following the man's death, his wife filed a $3.2 million lawsuit against United Way two years later. She ultimately won the case for an undisclosed amount.
Considering that the money spent on this activity likely came mostly from donations from people who expected United Way to use it for good purposes, such as helping those in need, it could have been used for something better.
The negative effects still linger.
All 1.5 million balloons use helium, a precious resource. The balloon festival leads to the loss of helium, a non-renewable resource, because once released, helium is lost forever, this rare gas is difficult to obtain, and it is essential for scientific and industrial activities.
It is clear that this was due to poor planning of the event and that the organizers should have paid more attention to the weather.
But at least the scenery that day was amazing.