5. Mistake on the lake| Balloonfest ‘86

Host Odeya resurfaces the pollutant decay that was once balloonfest ‘86, a fundraising event turned environmental disaster when 1.5 million balloons released by Charity United Way, caused an aftermath of ecological impact. 

The delivery shares the event's indirect involvement with two missing fishermen, its unwanted arrival in Canada and the damage caused to a local businesses.  https://www.instagram.com/host_odeya/

 1.         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicknames_of_Cleveland
2.        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpS65FyaYME
3.        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJt5WrawUYA
4.        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3UoEmKLsgs
5.        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZmTPk0_4UA
6.        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Way
7.     https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/george-cylie-fraser-40
8.        https://magicmadebydisney.com/tag/balloons/
9.     - https://gizmodo.com/ask-the-project-manager-for-cleveland-s-crazy-balloonf-1566255102v
10.  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/cuyahoga-river-caught-fire-least-dozen-times-no-one-cared-until-1969-180972444/

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Transcript

Balloonfest'86

[00:00:00] Oh hey, host Odaya here. Before we get started, I have a bone to pick. Well, more of a Bouquet toss despite the commitment issues. The reviews I've been receiving lately are pure gold. You guys sure know how to stroke a podcaster's ego in all the right places. I've also been asked by some of you why the episodes drop only once a month.

Trust me, it's not because I'm out doing other things. It's primarily professional commitments, but also the amount of research I put into each episode takes a while. I don't like to miss anything if I can help it, you know? So to all you awaiting each new delivery, I salute you. Your understanding is appreciated.

And hey, if you're feeling extra generous, feel free to drop us a review, or follow to keep us updated on new episode releases. Or don't. It's your call. Enjoy the episode.

I would deflect from organizing fundraisers if I was ever tasked with them. As the poster child for Introverts International, this was my dark place.

[00:01:00] Networking and rubbing shoulders with people is not what I do. You could find me behind the scenes doing the grunt work, no objections here. If you haven't worked it out already, I'm not one for pictures and brown nosing. And yet every year, I was sat around a table slinging ideas across the room on how to get you people to dig deep and spend the day drip feeding the money pop.

And trust me, getting the public motivated to make a difference is not easy. Do you notice how every event tends to have a twist to it these days? A marathon, for example, no longer caters to just one kind of person. Sure, fun runs existed, but the idea was you still ran. But not anymore. Now it's a color run, where you're splashed with all the colors of glee and joy, as you freely run, walk, shuffle, or drift towards the finish line.

Charities want, no need people of all ages and capability to participate, because more the merrier, right? Gets people talking, and excited, and there's the classic humble bragging  for the socials.

[00:02:00]And the more people that participate, the more money is raised. Simple. Well, for you at least. Behind the scenes, of course, is a different story.

Regulations to follow. Permits to acquire. Insurance to have. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Fair enough. Gotta keep the people safe, of course. The average fundraising event takes around six months to plan. And even then, there's no guarantee the plan will execute without a hitch. A core factor with any outdoor event is Mother Nature herself.

Should you align the fundraiser when Pensephone is in the arms of her mother, you may be rewarded. But even then, it's not without the risk. So what if the elements go against you? You should just yield. Submit to the outcome because, hey, that's life. Of course not. You try and make it work however you can.

Or it's half a year's work down the drain. Sponsors to answer to. Large amounts of funds wasted. So you take the leap. 

[00:03:00] This could be a  great success or your biggest failure, or maybe both. I am your very own host Zodaya, and this is the Uncharitable podcast. With the added warning that this episode contains details of environmental impact and death.

So listener discretion is advised.

Fun fact, the city of Cleveland in 1986 was a city on the rebound. It was tired of being the punchline, it wanted to rebrand. Even if that meant piggybacking off another city's slogan. Ever heard of the phrase, New York's a big apple, but Cleveland's a plum? No, me neither. Guess it didn't take off as Cleveland's a plain dealer had hoped.

I think the 60s nickname, The Mistake on the Lake, was catchier to the citizens. Plus it did have meaning to it. The Cuyahoga River, which flows through the city and feeds onto Lake Erie, had caught fire at least a dozen times before someone paid attention. For more than a century, the river had served as real estate for manufacturing companies. 

 [00:04:00] tankers oil slicks that bubbled on the surface and the bloated dead rats floating in the water served as a warning to never fall in. If you did, don't hesitate to go straight to a hospital. 

In the 70s, the city was best known as Bomb City, USA. I guess they rebrand every decade. Car bombs were the preferred method of assassination for rival gangs, as it left little evidence for the police to follow, and this continuous violence saw the city lose 23. 6 percent of its population. 

These were not good times. Cleveland needed to flush out these pesky imperfections. And bring back community spirit. And luckily a few people had some ideas. 

On June 4th, 1974, the Cleveland Indians decided to hold a 10 cent beer night during a game against the Texas Rangers to improve attendance numbers.

As the game proceeded, on field incidents agitated tanked up spectators who began to throw lit firecrackers across the field, which motivated the Chief Umpire to forfeit the game in Texas favour. 

[00:05:00] Sober fans quickly retreated the grounds, leaving a booze mob behind, who stormed the field, forcing players to protect themselves with bats against hot dogs and empty beer bottles.

After 20 minutes of rioting, police finally arrived to restore order, arresting nine fans. 

And following on in 1980, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien performed a publicity stunt by throwing softballs off the top of Terminal Tower to celebrate its 50th anniversary. I never said they were good ideas.

Around 5, 000 people stood below the tower as Stepien threw the balls with the idea that one of his players caught it. But instead, the first 3 dented a nearby car and injured two people, breaking one's wrist, before a player finally grabbed and ended the stunt circus. Stepien's apparent good intentions did leave him slightly lighter in the wallet, when one of the spectators sued him.

Poor guy. 

This string of bad ideas, sorry, bad luck, surely had to be coming to an end by now. There's only so much this poor city could take. So an idea from the charity United Way. would become third time's the charm, right? 

[00:06:00]SkyFest, the million balloon salute to honor Disneyland's 30th anniversary on December 5th, 1985, just so happened to line perfectly with Walt Disney's 84th birthday.

And what better way to go off with a bang than attempting a world record at the same time? 1, 200 tubes, each containing approximately 1, 000 balloons, were dragged and stationed on katella between West Street and Harbour, each blown up by high school band students and Marines from the local El Toro base, who arrived as early as 3am to participate.

Over 1, 121, 448 made it out into the open. Crushing the former record of 384, 000 that was set in Japan a year prior, the guy to thank would be Treb Heining, Disneyland's golden balloon boy, who started his career in the parks in 1969 at age 15, selling the signature Mickey Mouse heads in  Fantasyland, before learning to make, tie, and bend the balloons into an art form.

[00:07:00]Hiening would credit Disney for laying the latex foundations for him. It was his lifeblood, his purpose. And Oh the things he do would be remarkable. 

In 1979 at 25 years old, Treb started his own venture, Balloon Art by Treb, out of an apartment on Vantage Avenue in North Hollywood. It was tough in the beginning.

Balloons were only seen as birthday and circus decor, but Treb was going to change that. And in that same year, through Good Connections, Treb was asked to help with balloons for Cher and Greg Olman's son, Elijah's third birthday. 

Quote, "I put helium in four balloon clusters and made an archway that connected the columns that then went over the tennis court. And that was the very first balloon arch ever done in the entire world. Cher then came out and took a picture with us. The stuff we were doing was so spectacular back then because no one had ever seen anything like it". 

And soon, everyone wanted a piece. 

[00:08:00]In 1984, Trebb would score the  opportunity of a lifetime to work on the 1984 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, which Heining claimed put his business on the map.

While that and his encounter with Tom Holowock, a production consultant who designed the logistics for hundreds of Treb's balloons that made up the Olympic rings, let loose at the event. After that, Holowuck was included in all major projects Trebb was involved with. Together they contributed to Disney's world record success, which caught the attention of many, including the charity United Way, 

an organization which prides itself as an international force of change. It assists through a network of 1, 800 global affiliates who diligently strengthen the educational, economic, mobility, healthcare, and community needs of millions of people across the world. If you're in the U. S., you're in the United States. Chances are, you may or may not opt into a workplace giving program, which is how the charity acquires a majority of its donations, 57 percent if we're talking specifics.

Another detail to know, is you can't find a single picture on their website, that doesn't have a smile in it. 

[00:09:00] This isn't an invitation to prove me wrong, if you do find one, good for you I guess. 

But that's what the charity is all about. George Frazier understood that. That's why United Way hired him. He was all about showcasing the impact a business had on an individual.

He provided the visuals as a manager at P& G after completing their marketing and sales program 16 years prior. 

So a world record attempt for the largest ever mass balloon release was sure to free those smiles and attract young people into lives of Philanthropy and volunteering.

This was the trend, the style to create buzz at the time. Corporations threw large amounts of money at publicity stunts to show off and George knew just the visionaries to bring that style to life.

Tom Holowatk was initially recruited as a project manager to helm the ambitious vision United Way had. 

Which was to release two million balloons from a single vocal point, right in front of Terminal Tower, set against the backdrop on the public square in the heart of the city.

[00:10:00]Unlike Disney's closure of  Katella, the charity envisioned a more intimate, yet equally impactful affair, that would gain recognition across the country. 

So naturally, the only way to achieve this was to hire the man who lived and breathed this stuff. Treb was flown out from Los Angeles and introduced to the concept. Without hesitation he accepted the opportunity and was hired on the spot. 

Speaking with Gizmodo in 2014, Holowok described the logistics required to pull off the event. 

Quote, "I designed the city square block bin, then had it redesigned to a structure that could stand up to 60 mile per hour winds. which was the standard building code."

After many meetings with Cleveland authorities, they turned around and told me I had to conform to the same building codes as a permanent structure. 

Luckily for Tom, he found a great structural engineer who had found major structural flaws in the original designs. The vertical components of the scaffold were cross braced with a diagonal two inch pipe to prevent torque and collapse from downward pressure or side to side torque.

[00:11:00] Don't know about you, but I definitely understand what he means.

So he added key horizontal diagonals. Along with the full length of all sides. Basically creating a bridge trust effect, To resist the wind loading, Across the face of any side of the box, 

This huge rectangular structure, Measure 250 feet long, 150 feet wide, And stretch three stories high.

Then there was a net, Quote "We looked at what it could take to make one big bin, With a top that could come off. It is possible to calculate the lift of a nine inch helium balloon, Then multiply that by 2, 000, 000 and it is possible to know the tensile strength of a polythene rope of various types. So I somehow located the company, in SoCal, in the San Gabriel Valley, who had made cargo nets for the space shuttle. I gave them the lift and size of the box, so they could calculate the weave that was needed."

2 million was a stretch though. United Way crafted a sales contract with local school children to sell the balloon sponsors at two per dollar, but poor time management limited the sales to 1.5 million instead.

[00:12:00]That was still enough to break the record, but 1.5 million balloons, that was a big order to fill. 

Luckily, the Pioneer Balloon Company could handle it. They were the only company Tred would use for his own designs who also insisted that the latex was biodegradable. Something Treb was very concerned about in the eighties apparently.

Treb would describe this process as quote, endless. The amount of technical research and planning permits were absolutely astonishing to try and get something like this off the ground.

But the six months of meticulous planning had navigated every conceivable route, impact and outcome that could be forecasted.

And with the sponsorship secured, volunteers enlisted, and all the necessary permits for road closures and detours signed off, the stage was set and ready for liftoff. On the evening of September 26th, just one day before the event. A storm swelled through the city, posing a threat to the efforts organized by the team.

Tom Hollowark described the storm as a quote,  microburst. The National Weather Service said it was like a mini tornado. I was there, he said, and things like chairs were physically picked up and spun in circles. 

[00:13:00]The blow through had ripped a hole in the seamed ceiling of the tarp protecting the bin, and more than half of the inflatables, crucial for lifting the net out of its containment, had collapsed and decompressed under the force of the wind.

But luckily, Tom were prepared for this. With plenty of fabric left over to cover the seam, and Pioneer balloons sending emergency inflatables to replace the ones lost, it took just three hours to get back on track. 

Just in time for 2, 500 schoolchildren, who had dragged themselves from their slumbers at 3am, to come downtown to the temporary workstation made up inside the bin.

Sitting on folding chairs, air valves placed next to them were zip tied to upside down milk crates and connected to a joined copper line that went out to attract a trailer filled with contained helium. But just as the operation gained momentum, another hurdle grounded the process. At 5am, a second hole appeared, this time at the top of the net that was already brimming with balloons, 

[00:14:00] with a sense of urgency.

The fire department quickly assisted to extend a ladder on top of the net, where workers quickly sewed it back into place before any more balloons could slip through. Once mended, the children returned to their stations. 

To ward off their drowsiness a local DJ was enlisted, to blast energizing rock music through the structure, while event officials rallied the kids with insufferable words such as, 

quote, "We need you to keep going. You'll be known all around the world."

Screw hearing that at 5am.

I can't imagine it was much fun once you got fixated in the non stop assembly line, but I'm assuming the free bagels, cookies and t shirts helped. 

To ensure the event's success, the team would need to blow up 4, 500 balloons per minute for six hours straight. One of the volunteers that day was 16 year old Mandy Basil, a junior at Trinity High School, who confessed that, in the beginning, she struggled to get the gist of quickly assembling the balloons. 

[00:15:00] Quote.. "I was a tear. I was not a very good tear before the event, but after a while I could do it with my eyes closed. It didn't take long to get good at it, and fast. Twenty seconds a balloon."

Indeed. Mastery often exacts its toll, and for many of the children, it came in the form of blisters and strained backs from the hours of hunching over their task. 

Yet in the grand scheme of things, these minor inconveniences seemed like a small sacrifice to make.

After all, their efforts were not just about inflating balloons. They were breathing life into a vision and contributing to a cause greater than themselves, supposedly. 

With the day unfolding, television networks began broadcasting the event's progression, with hosts Big Chuck and Little John from Channel 8's WHW stationed on the ground, interviewing a myriad of individuals involved.

Among them was Guinness assistant editor Sid Smith, who Treb Heining invited personally to witness the attempt first hand. 

Smith elaborated on the process required for Guinness to authenticate the number of balloons released. 

[00:16:00] She explained that, comprehensive documentation, detailing both the initial count of balloons provided by United Way, and the final tally, including any breakages, would be crucial.

Should the final count surpass the initial number, Cleveland would have earned its converted spot in the record books. 

And George Frazier was sure they had made it. When Big Chuck asked him how he thought it was going, Frazier humbly responded, quote, This is the greatest display of being united that I have ever seen in my 42 years. It is absolutely spectacular and I am ecstatic. 

But the fickle attitude of the weather once again interfered, when a rainstorm barreled towards the designated flight path, prompting planners to pivot and make a swift call to release earlier than anticipated at 1. 50pm. 

But it was worth it. The premature launch allowed the skies to stay clear for just a little while longer, as the United Way untethered the net above the city, where onlookers became joyous at the jubilant atmosphere.

[00:17:00] The blizzard immediately tumbled and  danced around the terminal tower before dispersing towards the skyline. Applause and cheers of 100, 000 spectators followed behind it, with Little John announcing quote, "We did it. Ladies and gentlemen, the Guinness Book of World Records has just been broken in Cleveland".

"There is no mistake on the lake anymore." 

Oof. Hold on, Little John. That's quite the statement to make, but to an extent, he was right. 

1, 429, 643 latex orbs had began navigating Ohio territory before venturing out further. 

Like certain promises I've received which never amounted to expectations, the crowd was entertained for little over a minute before the disillusioning experience was over.

When dispersed, it was anticipated the balloons would rise to an average altitude of around 10 km before the outside air pressure of the balloon diminished, causing the elastic material to expand before exploding back down to earth. 

That was the perfect magical outcome United Way had hoped for, 

but this was  Cleveland, people. They don't swing that way. 

[00:18:00] The practice outweighed the theory when the balloons hit a front of cool air and rain, causing the cluster to plummet while still intact.

Far Out magazine perfectly described the scene as a 

quote, "footage from an ecological horror film" as they returned to the city. 

In Northeast Ohio, waterways quickly became clogged with the decorations. Burke Lakefront Airport immediately grounded planes for half an hour as the runways became polluted. 

Drivers on the West Brown Shoreway drove into fences and each other, causing a 10 car collision near Aviation High School after becoming distracted. As a result, the roadway had to be shut down to bring a bulldozer to clear away the mess.

In Medina County, around 33 miles south A local ranch became swamped with balloons spooking Louise Nobrowski's prized Arabian horses causing permanent injuries after the orbs landed next to them in their pasture. 

If it seemed like things couldn't get any worse, fate had another indirect act in store.

[00:19:00] The day before the launch, the plane dealer reported that two neighbors, Raymond Broderick and Bernard Solzer, had gone out for a fishing trip at Edgewater Park at 7pm. 

The men had planned to return home by midnight, so when morning broke, their concerned families reported the men missing. 

Dispatch Coast Guards soon spotted their 16 foot boat anchored west of the breakwall, as well as two life jackets and a pair of tennis shoes floating nearby.

The men's fishing gear remained in the boat, but the engine and gas tank were missing. 

Water in the craft suggested the storm that swept through the night before had caused the boat to capsize, tossing the men into the water. With no bodies detected nearby, the coastguards expanded their search across Lake Erie, who described the scene as a quote, asteroid field, and like trying to find a needle in a haystack, because you're looking for a head, or a life jacket, but here you have a couple of a hundred thousand balloons, making it harder to deter which is which.

He wasn't exaggerating, it was predicted that only 10 percent of the balloons would land on the lake, but instead, a staggering 60 percent polluted the waters. 

 [00:20:00]If you wanted to see what it looked like, I've posted it on Instagram. You're welcome. 

With the lake still covered, the Coast Guards had little choice but to suspend the search for the men on September 29th.

By October 6th, Broderick's body was found in the lake, a quarter mile east of the Edgewater Marina. 

Sulzer's body soon washed ashore on October 12th at Edgewater Park.

Environmentalists were quick to blame the fundraiser for the indirect deaths but it wasn't as simple as that. The plane dealer reported that by the time the balloons had been released, the men had already been missing for at least 14 hours.

The storm the night before had rolled in at approximately 8. 30pm, so if they dropped in soon after, that would have been 17 hours. Factoring the average temperature for Lake Erie in September at 68 degrees means it's impossible to survive in the water for 12 hours. On top of that, the two men would have been fighting against the harsh currents, sealing the unlikely chance of a rescue.

[00:21:00]Shortly after the  tragedy, the balloons mysteriously disappeared from Lake Erie. A local news station ignorantly suggested the balloons no longer posed a threat to fish and wildlife based on the fact they were no longer floating in the lake.

Hang tight while I bring you back down to Reality Channel 5, cause they had in fact shown up elsewhere.

The lake forms a border between the United States and Canada, and over the next few weeks, a latex invasion would surround their coastlines. 

The now deflated balloons appeared on Ontario, where residents were less than joyous to find balloon debris at their doorsteps. 

Local wildlife became victims of mass pollution, mistaking them for a meal and choking on the foreign body.

Regardless of their material, biodegradable latex still required anywhere between six months and six years to break down. 

Local resident P. Allen Woodliffe told journalists, A short time ago I was walking along the East Coast Beach. I was greatly dismayed when I saw the balloons along the shore, not just one or two but many.

 [00:22:00]In an average 200 yard stretch along the East Coast Beach, I counted 140 balloons. In the same average distance along the South Beach, there were at least 300. 

His predictions were on point. It was estimated that across the shoreline, 10, 000 to 15, 000 balloons had racked up and seen as were still gunning for their impact on the environment. I'll remind you about the helium. 

Blowing up 1. 5 million balloons with a non renewable source seemed to many people a frivolous waste. 

The gas could have been used elsewhere, like for scientific research or medical equipment, to, you know, assist with a diagnosis of a health condition. 

I think I'll let Tom Holowok state his case for this one.

Quote, At the time, nobody had been told about the prospect of a helium shortage. No one really understood that we had reached peak helium. And back in the 80s, corporations were using big events as marketing stunts. In retrospect, it's A DOH, but at the time it was a huge rush. 

It was the eighties. Come on, people. 

[00:23:00]The world was not  concerned for the aftermath because they were ignorant to its understanding back then. 

But one resident did disagree. In a letter he described how distressing it was to see pictures of the mass release of helium field balloons, which were merely to ratify the urge to observe a visual spectacle once released, the helium has gone forever. He stated. And the rare gas is hard to come by, and much needed for scientific and industrial activity.

The aftermath hadn't killed anyone directly, but as far as some were concerned, the charity did have a responsibility to account for. Among those would be Raymond Broderick's wife, Gail Broderick, who took legal action against United Way executives, suing them for an estimated 3. 2 million, but later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. 

The same was said for Louise Nobrowski, whose horse had suffered permanent injuries after running into a fence when it became spooked. Louise originally seeked 100, 000 in damages, but she too settled out of court, again for an undisclosed amount.

[00:24:00]To add insult to injury, United Way's efforts  had totaled up to a net loss from the event. A combination of cost overruns and lawsuits meant the charity suffered from the effects of a public relations crisis. With individuals criticizing on how the charity spent donations after it was revealed the stunt cost around half a million dollars. Had the money been spent more wisely, it could have been used to build a need for the local community, but instead, the financial loss far outweighed the benefit. 

It did achieve its intended goal though, well sort of. 

Guinness recognized the attempt and placed it in their 1988 edition. You can find it on page 290, which reads, quote, The largest ever mass balloon release. Was one of 1, 429, 643 sponsored by United Way at Public Square in Cleveland, Ohio.

However, the category was soon retired to prevent similar environmental devastation. Sometimes it's just better to pretend it never happened, you know?

[00:25:00]Eight years later in 1994,  stood within his office with an aerial photo of the release behind him, George Frasier reflected on the event, saying, quote, "It was his greatest success and his biggest failure."

Similar words were said by United Way in 2011. Jenna Snyder, a spokeswoman for the organization, told journalists at The Plain Dealer, quote, "We would not do a balloon launch ever again. We have learned a lot in the last 25 years."

As for Treb and Holowock, if you live in the actual Big Apple and not the plum, you can find Treb looking down on you every new year when the clock strikes 12 in Times Square, where he has been coordinating the 3, 000 pound confetti drop you drown in since 1991.

The paper is fully biodegradable by the way. I checked. 

And Holowok? He prefers impact on the ground these days. In his words, quote, I get my kicks now by making impossible things happen on stage in Broadway musicals. 

[00:26:00] I think that's best, Tom. Don't worry. Most have buried the bad memories of that day in the depths of Lake Erie.

With all those balloons. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Thanks for listening. Uncharitable was created by me, Host Odeya, with the vision to illuminate the unethical shadows within philanthropy.

As an independent podcaster, I need all the help I can get, even if your spectacle lasts less than a minute. 

So if you liked the show, consider contributing to the community by following or leaving a review.

For further reading about BalloonFest, I have included sources in the show notes. As well as posted clips and images on my Instagram at Uncharitable Podcast. 

Till next time.