Off to see the Wizard? Just look up

Seventy years ago, the Wizard of Oz floated home on a hot air balloon in a screenplay that is now a classic.

Yesterday Dorothy, the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow floated into the clear blue sky above Battle Creek.

The hot air balloon was essentially a delightful flying advertisement for the 70th-anniversary edition of Wizard of Oz, which comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray Sept. 29.

"There are so many Wizard fans," said Marsha Treacy, the pilot of a Wizard of Oz hot air balloon. "This movie has touched so many generations."

Representatives of these touched generations could be seen holding hands and gazing and pointing at the heavens as the balloon touched off Saturday morning.

They waved in a healthy mixture of wonder and jealousy as the balloon drifted gracefully into the distance.

One even shouted "Wait! You forgot Toto!" as she waved with her brown dog's paw.

"The people are my favorite part," Treacy said. "People come out to see the balloon. We meet some wonderful folks."

One of the wonderful folks was standing beside Treacy in the balloon's basket as it lifted off.

"This is my first time riding in a hot air balloon," said Maj. Charla Quayle of the US Air Force. "I'm so excited!"

Quayle is the flight surgeon for the Air Force Thunderbirds, another main attraction at the Fields of Flight Balloon Festival.

Along with Quayle, Treacy had one other passenger — a videographer from WGVU-TV in Grand Rapids.

"They're making a documentary about us," Treacy said.

Although Treacy has been flying commercial balloons for 26 years, she's gotten more media attention from the Wizard balloon than any other.

"It's worked well for us," Treacy said. "We've gotten a lot of exotic TV time."

This means Treacy has to juggle safety and competition while still looking good for the cameras.

She doesn't mind a bit, she said. This has been the best balloon experience yet.

"Safety's always first, and the media is a priority," Treacy said. "The competition is a lot of fun."

What is an important chance to make it to nationals for some competitive balloonists is just a laid back experience for Treacy and her passengers.

It wasn't always this way. Treacy said that in the late 80s and early 90s she considered herself a serious national competitor.

"As you grow older, your interests change," Treacy said. "There are so many different aspects to ballooning."

The aspect that is most important to her now is the people.

As an example, Treacy said she once allowed a 5-year-old to pilot her balloon.

That child grew to be a man who has his own air balloon.

"You never know how you're gonna touch people," Treacy said. "You never know how they're gonna touch you."

Source