| FLOATING SMILES KIDS TO ATTEND MIDFIRST OHIO CHALLENGE FESTIVAL |
| Thursday, July 16, 2009 10:37:20 AM - Middletown Ohio |
For immediate release
Ann Mort, 513-649—4506, RMort@cinci.rr.com, 513-705-1770
July 6, 2009
The Floating Smiles organization will be sponsoring fifty Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center cancer patients to go up in a tethered hot air balloon at the MidFirst Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival on Saturday, July 18. The patients and their families will have the opportunity to take balloon rides from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm.
A special handicap-accessible balloon basket will be available exclusively for the Floating Smiles guests to ride up to about 50 feet in the air while still tethered to the ground with a sturdy cable.
Floating Smiles is a non-profit group organized for the sole purpose of making it possible for young cancer patients to go up in a hot air balloon for a ride they will forever remember. Julia Ossipov-Grodsky, one of the founders of Floating Smiles said, “We had this idea to give young cancer patients an opportunity to forget their troubles and concerns for a day, to have fun, and be adventurous by floating up in a hot air balloon. We wanted to create a truly memorable experience for them to enjoy with their families. We had this vision of the children floating up in mid-air and smiling. This project was conceived out of my involvement in a leadership course with Landmark Education – an international training and development company.”
The public and festival sponsors will also have the opportunity to take tethered rides in a separate balloon.
The MidFirst Ohio Challenge festival is now in its 7th year at the Smith Park/Middletown Regional Airport complex in downtown Middletown. Running 4-10 pm on Friday and Saturday, July 17 and 18, the event includes not only 35 hot air balloons, but skydivers, foods, arts & crafts, live music concerts, a car show, carnival and much more. This year, a crowd pleasing flying duo, the Little Bees, will entertain the crowd with the special 110’ tall bee-shaped hot air balloons flying together during the morning flights and glowing together in the evenings.
Parking admission is via the airport entrance near 1800 Germantown Road. A $5 parking fee also admits all occupants of the vehicle. Those who choose to walk in pay $2 for adults. Children with adults are free.
The competition balloon event continues during the mornings of Saturday and Sunday. Saturday morning will include a pancake breakfast by Chris Cakes –master of the flying flapjacks. The festival ends after the Sunday morning flight. Admission is free to the festival grounds during morning flight times for balloon competition viewing.
For more information visit the www.midfirstohiochallenge.com website, email info@ohiochallenge.com or phone 513-705-1770.
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