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FLOAT 2004-2007

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2004-2007

The BalloonTown USA Years

2004 to 2007 – Cincinnati, Ohio

Before there was FLOAT, there were the BalloonTown USA Projects. These large scale group builds eventually led to the formation of what FLOAT now is today. Take a minute and review the photos of these past efforts, but don’t let the page view fool you; there are 40 different photos in all!

2004 – A Hard Working Crew

And that's putting it mildly! Only six people built the very first BTU Project, including Sandi Masori, CBA, who traveled from San Diego to be part of the team. In fact, producer Steven Jones had to work for 66 consecutive hours without sleep in order to complete the project on time.

2004 – Another Angle

The first BTU Project was under 20,000 balloons, and many of them were taken up in the walls alone. And with a very small crew working feverishly over several days, there were very few actual decor elements with the piece. But visitors were still amazed by the fact that you could put lights inside of balloons!

2004 – Frankie and Friends

The finished Frankenstein was a huge hit (no pun intended) with attendees at the show. BTU 2004 was also the first appearance of Dr. Squish, producer Steven Jones' favorite all time balloon character, who made an additional group project appearance in 2011 and will live once again at an installation piece in Houston, Texas, in January 2014.

2004 – Here we go….

FLOAT actually began in 2004 as the BalloonTown USA Project. In the course of this first year, 18,000 balloons were used to create a walk-through haunted house. We also learned to NEVER load in like this again!

2004 – Jasper Lights the Way

Heres a closer look at Jasper, the caretaker of Balloonsylvania. Keep in mind, he may work there but he's no dummy…he never ventures in any further than the front gate!

2004 – Larger than Life

The first installment of BTU featured several iconic monsters, including what would become a child-friendly version of Frankenstein. But don't let the photo fool you too much; while Frank is big, Mandy only stands 4'10" in real life!

2004 – Meet Esmerelda

One of the biggest surprises for people at the 2004 event was the larger-than-life spider we named "Esmerelda". She was primarily designed though to help hide a piano that was staged in the room that the venue informed us simply could not leave the space.

2004 – The Stacks

In order to prepare for the first BTU, wall columns had to be constructed at producer Steven Jones' shop and then transported over. So each was stacked and tagged according to location prior to loading up. But as you saw in the very first photo, they didn't end up placed in the venue in the most organized fashion.

2004 – The Twisted Sisters

Along the path through Balloonsylvania you come across two evil witches and their frog pet, Merlin. Don't get too close; you wouldn't want to end up in their cauldron!

2004 – Welcome to Balloonsylvania

Visitors at the very first BTU were greeted at the gate by the gothic looking lighted gate. And in the distance, the caretaker, Jasper, tries to light your way...

2005 – A School of Jellyfish

To further create the look and feel of being underwater, twisted jellyfish were suspended over the viewers heads much like the turtles were in earlier photos. Many who attended the event commented that these were there favorites at the event.

2005 – A Spooky Stingray

One of the creatures scaring poor Princess Pearl was this shady looking stingray. Created by Randy Zacks, it was a fan favorite to say the least.

2005 – An Aquatic Overview

Everything about BTU grew in 2005. The team expanded, we increased to 40,000 balloons and we relocated to the gymnasium at St. Rita, a school for deaf children. What better audience for such visual imagery?

2005 – Finding Pearl

After endless searching, the visitors at BTU finally come across Princess Pearl. She went to dangerous waters in search of a treasure chest, but now found herself surrounded by dangerous sharks and other shady looking beasts.

2005 – Team Photo

About two dozen people volunteered on the BTU Crew in 2005. The waterfall located behind the construction team is actually the secret passageway that visitors entered the underwater domain through.

2005 – The Search for Princess Pearl

The basic plot behind the 2005 BTU Project was that Princess Pearl, a beautiful mermaid, was missing and you had to help find her. Before the event began, a promotional sculpture of Pearl was created and staged in the lobby at St. Rita in an effort to draw attention to the event.

2005 – The Very, Very Deep

One of the most popular spaces every year at BTU was the black light room. Each year the space was included in the story line, whether it was a mystical cave, a wild party or a secret mad scientist's lab. In 2005, it was an undersea cave where the different aquatic creatures gave off a mysterious light...

2005 – Welcome to Turtle Town

Along the way while searching for Princess Pearl, visitors find their way into "Turtle Town". Twisted turtle sculptures were suspended from helium filled "bubbles" to give the viewer the feeling they were underwater.

2005 – When in Rome….

The 2005 BTU Project had an under-the-sea theme, so over 100 "flying fish" were created as both decor and vending opportunities. Here Melissa Rauser, CBA, does her best impression of the friendly fish.

2005 – Who Lives in a Pineapple?

As part of the under-the-sea elements of the 2005 BTU event, we just couldn't resist featuring these two familiar faces. They ended up being the single most photographed element of the entire event!

2006 – A Little Sunflower Love

While constructing sunflowers, members of the BTU crew decide to clown around for a photo. The sunflower design for this event, conceived by Steven Jones, combined elements of distortion, rounds and non rounds to create a truly dynamic end result.

2006 – A View from Above

As things began to come together, producer Steven Jones climbed a set of scaffolding left in the gymnasium to get a bird's eye view as well as to hang certain elements of decor. Because the scaffolding couldn't be removed from the venue, it was discussed trying to turn it into a wind mill to fit the farm theme, but time didn't allow for it.

2006 – Baling Hay

Teams of workers at BTU in 2006 went through thousands of 5" marigold balloons to create "bales of hay" that were used as decor elements throughout the display. "Shell shocked" from their experience, a select few joked about how they never wanted to see another marigold balloon ever again in their lives!

2006 – Crew Meeting

Putting 60,000 balloons together into a walk-through exhibit isn't all fun. Here event producer Steven Jones leads the discussion on progress while everyone takes a meal break.

2006 – Horsin’ Around

One of the elements of BTU that eventually led to FLOAT was that so many people wanted to come and learn how to make sculptures and larger scale efforts. Here, Ken Frisch tries his hand at framing while making one of the horse sculptures for the farm.

2006 – Pig in a Poke

Each year, the BTU Project was intended to serve as a fund-raiser for community charities. In 2006, our "pig pen" created over 100 piglets that people could take home with them for a small donation.

2006 – Setting the Stage

In an effort to be as organized as possible, bases and columns were marked and dropped into place almost immediately when first loaded into the venue. Spaces were left open, however, so that team members could pass back and forth between sections without having to walk the entire labyrinth of layout.

2006 – Smart Stops

BTU was about education to the public as well, so "Smart Stops" were placed along the path in an effort to engage attendees. Some were merely signage answering common questions such as why helium balloons float, but in other cases BTU crew members met with visitors and explained how things were created.

2006 – The FLOAT in Floatin’

The tale of Farmer Floyd and his a-Floatin' Farm was that the animals eventually found a way to save their home by tying balloons to themselves and floating above the ground. According to the story, people came from miles around the see the "critters in the air" as it were.

2006 – The Floatin’ Farm

In 2006, the project grew again, this time to a crew of over 30 people and just under 60,000 balloons used. St. Rita hosted the event once again, much to the delight of the students, families and supporters. This sculpture was significant because nearly every member of the crew has some sort of input as to how this tractor and scene took place. Talk about a true team effort!

2007 – A Different Perspective

Here's another angle of the dragon. From here you can see both the positioning of it's body as well as the look of surprise on the little ones' faces; after all, the dragon was intended to appear suddenly from behind a blind cave wall. Overall the impact was perfect.

2007 – A Proud Moment

It became customary over time at large installation pieces that the lead designer on the event be "immortalized" in the piece with a parody of him or herself. Brian Asman of TV's "The Unpoppables" honored producer Steven Jones with just such a parody; the piece was used in one of the display windows in the store to promote the event.

2007 – Balloonalot Castle

This iconic castle was the first thing viewers saw once they passed through the dense "foliage" at the entrance to Balloonalot. Inside lives "King Cornish the Chickenhearted" who begs you to rid his land of a horrible dragon making their lives unbearable.

2007 – Crew Photo

Over 60 different balloon professionals traveled to Cincinnati to be part of the 2007 project, the largest team ever assembled for the BTU Projects. Artists came from as far away as the Netherlands, Israel and China to take part, but admittedly most were from right here in the good ol' US of A. Notable names included Guido Verhoef, Melissa Vinson, Jan Iiams, Peggy Williams, Royal and Patty Sorell, Robbie Furman and Todd Neufeld among others.

2007 – Enter the Dragon

The mission on BTU 2007 was for you to defeat the dragon…so meet the dragon! This design, created by Guido Verhoef, CBA, was the perfect climax to the event.

2007 – Kid’s Castle

The 2007 BTU Project also featured a children's play area with games and crafts after they had completed the tour. Here Troy Apprill, CBA, and Dustin Queary work on a smaller castle design that will be used as a photo backdrop.

2007 – Meet Ay Deloof, the Jester

One of the iconic fixtures at BTU and FLOAT is Carl Woody. At Balloonalot, Carl took on the persona of the Court Jester and served as both host in the Fantasy Forest as well as caretaker over the dragon nursery.

2007 – Simple and Complex

Bringing twisters and decorators together at events like BTU brought about some amazing collaborations. An example of this was the frog pond, not surprisingly influenced by Jeannine Von Essen.

2007 – The Fantasy Forest

Without a doubt, this particular portion of Balloonalot had a huge impact on visitors. Our "Fantasy Forest" featured cute creatures and a "nursery" where baby dragons were "hatched" for visitors to take home for a small donation.

2007 – Welcome to Balloonalot

And yes, it was A LOT! In what would be the final year for BTU, it was the biggest effort yet. 140,000 balloons were used, an international crew of over 60 balloon artists constructed it and we expanded to an abandoned department store in a local mall.