Saluting Heroes Balloon Rally soars past expectations, raises nearly $40K for area non-profits

To say the organizers of the first Saluting Heroes Balloon Rally at Rhinelander’s Countryfest grounds at the beginning of August was a success is an understatement.

Lake Tomahawk residents Nancy and Steve Woller spent part of their morning at Camp American Legion (CAL) on Aug. 25 making check presentations, the largest of which was $30,000 to CAL director Jim Klement that will be used toward the replacement of one of the camp’s cabins.

The Saluting Heroes Baloon Rally took place Aug. 1-2 at the Hodag Country Festival grounds in the town of Pine Lake. (File photo)

Steve Woller, who told The Lakeland Times in late July the balloon rally aimed to honor veterans and first responders, said Monday that approximately 8,000 people attended the two-day event 

“Everything went really, really smooth,” he said. “We’re really happy. The Pine Lake fire department was a big help for us along with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.”

$2,000 was donated to the Pine Lake fire department as well as the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office. 

A total of $38,000 was raised for local non-profits. 

“We didn’t know what to expect with all the other activities going on for the weekend,” Woller said. “I was talking to some people who were there and they couldn’t believe how cool it was and can’t wait to have their friends come back with them next year for it.”

He said this is the second year of a three year lease his organization has with management of the Countryfest grounds.

“They were great to work with, too,” Woller said. “They didn’t know what to expect either and were shocked at how many people were there and how nice everything flowed.

Last year was the first year of the lease and as planning for this year’s event was underway, a hot air balloon tethering was conducted, the primary reason Woller told the Times then was to get the balloon pilots to CAL to see it for themselves. 

He said the “big goal” initially had been to raise enough money over the next two or three years “to replace one of the cabins” at CAL. 

“Then when Jim told us there was there was a cabin that they were replacing but they were short on funds and they couldn’t replace it without $30,000 more, that kind of fit right into our plans,” he said.

The cabin to be replaced is Cabin 8, sponsored by American Legion posts in Waupaca County and because several of the balloon pilots who participated in this year’s Saluting Heroes Balloon Rally are with the Fox Valley Balloon Association in Waupaca County, that meant a little something more for the Wollers. 

“It just turned out the Waupaca County cabin is the next cabin to be replaced,” Steve Woller said. 

Klement said the Waupaca County cabin is around 80-years old. 

“It was built in the 1940s,” he said. “I’m ecstatic about this donation happening for Waupaca County.”

Klement said the estimated cost for the project, including demolition of the current cabin, “is just past $150,000.”

“Depending on the general contractor, we could be looking at late October as far as tear down and then hopefully, building during the winter,” he said. “Could be next spring.”

Whenever it happens, the Wollers are pleased they could help with a project that Steve Woller said is “basically in our back yard.”

“It’s something we can say we made a difference now,” he said. “We did something to help build something long after we’ll be here.”

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].