30 years of Huff 'n & Puff'n
By Danielle Mills
Thirty years ago, Topeka residents were introduced to one of the most popular free community events in the state. The first, soon to be annual, Great Plains Huff n’ Puff took place over Father’s Day weekend in June 1976, launching from the State Capitol grounds.
“Not only were we staring at the Capitol dome, but we also had the Merchants Bank tower just to the east of where we were launching,” said Rob Schendel, a participant in the event the first year. “I suppose the secret fear of everyone there was that somebody would snag on the dome or an office building, causing some horrendous accident in front of a big crowd.”
According to The Topeka Sunday Capital-Journal, over 1500 people watched the first launch on the Statehouse grounds, but thousands more watched from their front yards and the streets as 17 balloons drifted over Topeka. “That first year, there were a lot of people curious about balloons,” said Barbara Thiele, whose husband John was the first Balloonmeister and whose son Jim flew his balloon Peppermint Patty in the rally. “Most people hadn’t ever seen one before.”
Now, hot air balloons are a common sight in Topeka, but for most the thrill hasn’t been lost. “You see a lot of consistent people at rallies,” said Thiele. “It was always a joy to see the thrill and loyalty of the crowd.”
The first Huff n’ Puff was the brainchild of a few balloon enthusiasts in Topeka, including Gene and Terry Brown, Chuck and Annette Klein and Chuck and Carol Tantillo. All three families had some ballooning experience and wanted to share it with the city of Topeka. “It was the bicentennial that year and it just seemed like the thing to do,” said Terry Brown. “Chuck Tantillo, Chuck Klein and my husband wanted to do it as part of the bicentennial celebration.”
It started small, with friends and family members canvassing downtown Topeka to find sponsors. “It was a hard sell – most of the merchants had no idea what a balloon rally was or how it might bring people downtown,” said Schendel, son-in-law of the Tantillo’s. “Some just stared at us blankly like we must be crazy.”
But the word and excitement circulated quickly and Topeka turned out to see the now popular event. “After they got going, and members started joining the [Great Plains Balloon] Club, more and more people in Topeka got balloons,” said Terry Brown. “More people got interested and it grew.” What started out small and experimental in nature has grown throughout the past 30 years to become one of the most well known attractions in the state of Kansas.
The years have seen some changes to the annual rally. After the trees near the state Capitol became too tall to fly around, locations including Washburn University, Felker Park and a field at 22nd and Chelsea were chosen to host the rally on several different occasions. The land on Chelsea was sold in 1997 and Huff n’ Puff moved out to Lake Shawnee where it is currently located. The Great Plains Balloon Club also decided to direct the proceeds of the rally to local chapters of national charities, most recently the Children’s Miracle Network and currently the Topeka Ronald McDonald House.
Despite changes in location and a few bad years due to uncooperative weather, the Great Plains Balloon Club Annual Huff n’ Puff has consistently provided the City of Topeka with a family-friendly weekend of entertainment. For 30 years, Topeka has reciprocated the favor with plenty of support, all with the desire to share the love of ballooning.
“I will tell you that Chuck Tantillo, ever the showman, was motivated in that first year by the desire to give Topekans a great show, and to share with them the wonder of a bunch of brightly colored balloons flying over his city,” Schendel said. “The rally has constantly done this for 30 years. This may not make much practical sense, but measured by smiles, joy and wonder, I think we can truly say it has been a great success.”