|
 The check represented a corporate grant award from State Farm, with
matching funds donated by local State Farm agencies.
The money was
earmarked specifically to help offset some of the expenses of having
the State Farm balloon at this year's Lincoln Art & Balloon
Festival.
According to Powell, the State Farm balloon came to Lincoln and
participated in the tethered rides offered at the Logan County
Airport this year. The chamber of commerce offered the rides to the
general public for a fee that went to the chamber.
In turn, the chamber had to cover the expenses of having the
balloon there, which included, among other things, the cost of fuel
for the balloon. The grant and matching funds from State Farm helped
to defray those expenses, which in the long run made the tethered
rides more financially successful for the chamber.
[to top of second column] |
Powell and Coyne talked about what they saw at the airport during
the Friday and Saturday tethered rides. Coyne said he knew of folks
who stood patiently in line for more than three hours to get a ride
in the State Farm balloon. Powell said that while he didn't have the
figures for Friday night, he knew for a fact that the State Farm
balloon gave over 350 rides on Saturday night.
Powell said he felt like having the State Farm balloon at the
airport was a great thing for the festival, and he believes the
balloon will return again next year.
The State Farm balloon was one of two that offered tethered rides
this year. Both balloons operated Friday and Saturday afternoon and
evening, and both stayed busy the entire time.
[LDN] |
