A beloved St. Louis tradition for 52 years, the Great Forest Park Balloon Glow and Race attracted nearly 150,000 attendees over two days in September. WashU sponsored one of 47 balloons on display at Emerson Central Fields in Forest Park. At the main stage, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin expressed his pride in St. Louis, while WashU’s Chamber Choir serenaded the crowd with “Up, Up and Away.”
To capture the WashU-sponsored balloon in flight, Thomas Malkowicz, senior multimedia producer for University Marketing and Communications, joined other local media professionals for a so-called “fun flight” a few days before the race. Malkowicz’s work as a WashU videographer has taken him across the world to Uzbekistan, Peru and Uganda, but this was his first-ever ride in a hot air balloon.
“It was wonderful,” Malkowicz says. “When you’re on the ground, there’s a lot going on. The crew is running around with ropes, checking the wind direction and filling up the balloons. But within seconds of being off the ground, it’s so peaceful.”
The WashU Chamber Choir’s serene rendition of “Up, Up and Away” was also captured before the main event. Jamie Perkins, ensemble coordinator and technical director for the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, recorded the choir’s final rehearsal. Traditionally, on race day the chamber choir begins their performance the moment the lead pilot ascends into the air.
The Great Forest Park Balloon Glow and Race is not only one of the longest-running hot air balloon races in the country but also one of the few held in a large metropolitan city — a place we’re proud to call our home. As an event sponsor, the university was featured prominently at the main stage in Forest Park. Many students and WashU community members were also spotted alongside thousands of their St. Louis neighbors at the Balloon Glow, an event the evening before the race where attendees stroll among dozens of illuminated balloons.
At this year’s race, Malkowicz boarded his second hot air balloon flight of the week. Though the views differed on Malcowicz’s two flights, the peaceful feeling remained.
“It reminds me of sailing,” he says. “You don’t hear the wind — you’re with the wind.”
