Ballooning in Champaign County

Ten hot air balloons chased each other in a hare-and-hounds race that began at Market Place shopping center and ended in a field between Dewey and Fisher, August 13, 1979. The race was co-sponsored by Market Place and radio station WKIO.

Advertisement for Ted Christman Auto Sales featuring a balloon ascension by Tom Gabel confirms that balloon fever has hit Champaign County in 1974. The ad wants people to stop by after the fair whose theme for the year is “Up, Up, and Away there's fun galore in ‘74” which also featured balloon demonstrations Sunday through Tuesday with Tom Gabel.

The prevalence of hot air ballooning in Champaign County can be traced to one man, Tom Gabel. Gabel moved to Urbana in fall 1973. Earlier that year, he was crowned the 1973 U.S. Hot Air Balloon Pilot Champion in Indianola, Iowa. Originally from Illinois, Gabel attended college in California. He returned to Illinois “because it seemed like a good place to start. There were no balloons in the state, while California, my home state, had one-third of the balloons in the country.”

While in Urbana, Gabel championed ballooning as a sport, appearing with his balloon “Babylon” at several community events, including Quad Day, Fourth of July festivals, and shopping center grand openings. He also started the Illini Balloon Club and opened a balloon repair and inspection service at his home in Urbana, the fourth such service in the United States.