The Greater Centralia Chamber of Commerce

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AREA BUSINESSES HELP BALLOON FEST

Matt Packman

In their 35th year, the Centralia Chamber of Commerce presents the Centralia Balloon Fest as a community event, made possible by the support and sponsorship of local and regional businesses.

These sponsorships are the lifeblood of the event, helping bring nearly 40 hot air balloons, as well as a myriad of events, attractions, and activities into the park each year. 

When these business leaders, organizations and individuals sponsor the event, they are helping to put money back into their community, as all proceeds from the Balloon Fest go to community projects, Centralia Foundation, and Centralia Chamber of Commerce.

“The real purpose of Balloon Fest is to highlight our great community to visitors and guests, so we want to thank all sponsors and attendees for contributing to our event so we can continue to improve our community,” says Marcus Holland, executive director of the Centralia Chamber.

“For example, the Chamber of Commerce donates $10,000 each year to the Centralia Foundation Park and has contributed a total of $32,000 for city projects in downtown Centralia in recent years.”

Over 90 sponsors are confirmed for this year’s Balloon Fest.

Those who sponsor balloons at the highest level are designated as VIP sponsors. This year’s VIP sponsors are American Legion Post 446 & Veterans Foreign Wars Post 2055; Kaskaskia College; SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital; and SSM Health St. Mary’s Medical Staff. Their sponsorships help bring in special shape balloons each year.

The top contributing sponsors this year are Bayer Crop Science, Tequila Mexican Restaurants with Taco Jo’s and Pepsi MidAmerica as this year’s stage sponsors, helping to provide the weekend’s entertainment stage.

“In addition to sponsorships, businesses and organizations provide resources and volunteers to help make this event a success! We want to thank all supporters of Balloon Fest,” adds Holland.



BALLOON FEST SPONSORS 

STAGE SPONSORS

  • Bayer Crop Science

  • Tequila Mexican Restaurants & Taco Jo’s

  • Pepsi MidAmerica

VIP SPONSORS

  • American Legion Post 446 & Veterans Foreign Wars Post 2055

  • Kaskaskia College

  • SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital

  • SSM Health St. Mary’s Medical Staff

TETHERED BALLOON RIDE SPONSOR

  • Tim Hudspeth for Marion County States Attorney

MAJOR SPONSORS

  • Bradford National Bank

  • Cancer Care Specialist of Illinois

  • Centaurus Financial – Barry Krupp & Chris Krupp

  • City of Centralia

  • ConAgra – Duncan Hines

  • Land of Lincoln Credit Union

  • Midland States Bank

  • Monken Auto

  • Pepsi Mid-America

  • Smitty’s Body Shop & Towing

  • Subway Restaurants / Scooters Coffee / Best Western Plus Hotels & Suites

  • U.S. Army

  • Withers Broadcasting

BALLOON SPONSORS

  • Alpha & Omega Construction

  • Colonial Golf Course

  • Dimond Bros. Insurance

  • Dusty’s Outdoor Media

  • FCLE – Jim Danielwicz

  • Geary Family

  • Graphic Packaging

  • Heritage Woods of Centralia

  • Intermountain Electronics

  • Kuder Family

  • Macz Funeral Homes

  • Mid Am Building Supply

  • Midwest Farm & Land – Dee Ann Arey

  • Plaza Verde Apartments

  • Poor Boy Portable Buildings

  • Schwartz Orchard

  • Southern Illinois Treasure Hunters

  • Southern Indiana Tourism Bureau

  • The Insurance Alliance

  • The Schwartstead

  • U.S. Bank 

  • Walmart

TENT SPONSORS

  • Clearwave Fiber

  • Gutter Helmet by Lednor Home Solutions

  • Illinois Air National Guard

  • Illinois Army National Guard

  • SSM Health St. Mary’s Foundation & Jason Motte Foundation

  • US Army Recruiting

ATM SPONSOR

  • Bradford National Bank

CAR & MOTORCYCLE SHOW SPONSOR

  • Weaver Tree Service

CARDBOARD BOAT RACE SPONSOR

  • Salem Travel

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY AREA SPONSOR

  • Industrial Mechanical Contractors

FIRST AID SPONSORS

  • Poor Boy Portable Buildings

  • SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital

SIGN SPONSOR

  • Baldy’s Catering

  • Old Thyme Funnel Cakes

CART SPONSORS

  • Bolin Enterprises

  • Brookside Valley Homes

  • Buchheit of Centralia

  • Buchheit of Centralia

  • Farmer’s State Bank of Hoffman

  • Hoyt Advisors

  • Jeff’s Chem Dry

  • Jerry’s Grill & Bar

  • Kirby Risk

  • Orthopaedic Center of Southern Illinois

  • Superior Window Co.

  • Winning Edge

AMBULANCE SERVICES

  • United Medical Response

CENTRALIA FONDATION PARK

  • David and Stephanie Sachtleben

DUMPSTER SERVICES

  • G & G Roll Off Services

EXECUTIVE TRAILER

  • Shores Builders

FREE BIKE HELMET GIVEAWAY

  • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital

LIGHT STANDARDS

  • City of Centralia

  • Guinzy Construction

OPENING CEREMONY

  • Centralia High School Marching Showcase and Choir

PORTABLE BUILDINGS

  • Poor Boy Portable Buildings

PROPANE

  • Centralia Propane

TRAINS

  • City of Wamac - Little Toot

  • CN Railway - Little Obie

 

UTILITY SERVICES

  • EFI Solutions - James Hill

 

VOLUNTEERS

  • Centralia High School Sports Teams

  • Kaskaskia College Sports Teams

 

And most importantly...

PUBLIC SAFETY AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES

  • City of Centralia ESDA

  • City of Centralia Fire Department

  • City of Centralia Police Department

  • City of Centralia Public Works Department

  • Marion County Sheriff's Department