Dallas Beall really wanted that victory in last year's Preakness, for he was performing in front of a hometown crowd full of family members and old friends.
Alas, it was not to be. A sudden wind current near the ground blew him away to the left, out of contention.
Confused? You don't remember the wind affecting the outcome of the 1994 Preakness?
Mr. Beall, you see, is a balloon jockey. And the event he did not win was the annual hot-air balloon race that has preceded the Preakness Stakes horse race for more than 20 years now.
As Preakness Celebration '95 nears, organizers say this year's Preakness Balloon Festival will be the biggest yet, including more balloons and more chances for spectators to view them in flight. The first liftoff, a media flight, is scheduled at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, from Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville.
"I think it's one of the best balloon events in the whole country," says Mr. Beall, 48, who owns a jewelry store in Louisville, Ky., but grew up in the Baltimore area, in Overlea and Towson. He's coming to fly in his fifth Preakness event.
"The pilots really love coming to Baltimore. There are just a lot of things going on in the area, with good parties, good hotel convenience, restaurants and so on," says Dan Sherrill, an Austin, Texas, balloonist who is coordinator of the Preakness balloon events.
Mr. Sherrill, 44, a hot-air pilot for 18 years, is assistant director of the Balloonists Federation of America, and will assume the directorship next year. He expects 50 balloons to participate in Preakness events this year, five more than last year and double the number participating when he took over five years ago. Pilots compete for prizes totaling $12,000.
Among the lighter-than-air craft expected are a handful of promotional balloons, including a Burger King Whopper, a Ballpark Franks hot dog, a Mr. Peanut, a rolled-up Daily Racing Form newspaper and an Early Times whiskey bottle.
Ascensions are planned for Thursday through May 14, weather permitting. The balloons cannot fly in rain or in winds over about 12 miles an hour.
Morning flights are scheduled Thursday and Sunday at Oregon Ridge Park, and Saturday from Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, the traditional Preakness liftoff location. All these flights are at 6:30 a.m., to minimize wind problems.
Friday launch
