STUDENTS HELP WITH HOT-AIR BALLOONS

MCCLURE, Ill. -- When Tom Forenz sets up his hot-air balloon, he needs about 150 helpers.

On Friday, students at Shawnee Elementary School South stepped forward to help inflate the balloon, watch it lift off the playground and then put it away.

Forenz, who works for Southern Air Service in Carbondale, takes his balloon on the road to schools in the region to teach children about the sport.

While he can't be in Cape Girardeau today for Aviation Day, one of his students will be there. Aviation Day begins at 8 a.m. at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and runs into the night.

At the elementary school, first-graders attached the balloon to the basket, then fourth-graders drug it out of its traveling bag. Kindergartners grabbed the balloon and stretched it out on the playground.

Fifth-graders, including Jessica Kuehnert, helped inflate the balloon. Kuehnert held on with all her might to the opening of the hot-air balloon as the fan whipped her long blond hair.

It was cold and windy and very tough to control the balloon, but Kuehnert didn't mind.

"It was really neat looking inside," Kuehnert said. "It was like a rainbow. While it was inflating, it looked like mountains growing. It was really neat."

When the gas burner started, Kuehnert had to move away, but kindergarten teacher Kathy Matlock was assigned to help keep the basket on the ground as long as possible.

The basket bounced across the playground with teachers, including Matlock, hanging on as best they could.

"It was surprising how much force and how much power the balloon had. Looking inside the balloon was just beautiful," Matlock said, shepherding her kindergartners back to class.

Friday afternoon, kindergartners had reading, science and art lessons all focusing on balloons.

Youngsters watching the process complained that they couldn't see or that they weren't close enough.

But, as the giant balloon began to inflate, it rolled slightly toward the crowd. Students squealed and ran back from the balloon. A few stood close, daring the balloon to hit them.

Jason Loury, a third-grader, said the balloon was "sort of weird."

"I thought the balloon was going to roll over on us," he said. "It was kind of exciting and kind of scary."

Chad Holtzclaw, also a third-grader, said his favorite part was when that giant balloon began to deflate.

"When it was falling down everyone ran away," he said.

Forenz recruited second- and third-graders to squeeze the last bit of air out of the balloon. Students stuffed it back into the bag.

Second-grader Emily Wilson hugged the deflated balloon and said the fabric felt like bed sheets.

"I've seen balloons before, but they always seemed this big," she explained, holding two fingers together to make a small circle. "Really, they are big."

Second-grader Kersti Jennings agreed. "It was a big as the Empire State Building," she said. "And it was hard for it to stay on the ground."

Jennings helped stuff the balloon into the bag. "It felt like we had a hippopotamus fitting into that bag."

The school paid $150 plus mileage to bring the balloon. "I know we got our money's worth," said Principal Rick Goodman.

SCHEDULE OF AVIATION DAY EVENTS

8 a.m. -- Gates open.

8:30 a.m. -- Inaugural 5K Runway Run starts.

9 a.m. -- Aircraft begin arriving.

9 a.m. -- Control tower tours begin, continue every hour.

9:15 a.m. -- Skydiving begins and continues throughout the day approximately every 20 minutes.

9:30 a.m. -- Kids K Run begins.

10:30 a.m. -- Plane rides and helicopter rides begin.

10:50 a.m. -- Radio-controlled aircraft demonstration.

11:15 a.m. -- Opening ceremonies.

11:45 a.m. -- Russian L-39 Jet take off and fly by.

12:15 p.m. -- PT-19 take off and fly by.

12:40 p.m. -- T-28 take off and fly by.

1:10 p.m. -- Radio-controlled aircraft demonstration.

1:45 p.m. -- Experimental aircraft take off and fly by.

2:10 p.m. -- Extrication and Air Evac rescue demonstration.

2:50 p.m. -- Russian L-39 take off and fly buy.

3 p.m. -- PT-19 take off and fly by.

3:20 p.m. -- Radio-controlled aircraft demonstration.

3:30 p.m. -- Departure of Huey military helicopter.

4 p.m. -- Departure of Chinook military helicopter.

4:10 p.m. -- T-28 take off and fly by.

4:25 p.m. -- Ag Cat take off and fly by.

5 p.m. -- Hot-air balloon launch.

5:20 p.m. -- Balloon Walk.

5:30 p.m. -- Departures for aircraft.

6 p.m. -- Radio-controlled aircraft demonstration.

7 p.m. -- Tethered balloon rides and Balloon Glow.