2025 BALLOON FEST SEES ALL SCHEDULED FLIGHTS TAKE OFF!

The 36th Annual Balloon Fest was a weekend packed with special moments, significant sights, and must-see entertainment – both on the ground and in the sky!

This year’s event saw every scheduled balloon event take place! All 35 featured balloons ascended over Centralia during both the morning flights and lift-offs, along with two very successful glows in Foundation Park!

The Balloon Fest was a success as a result of so many committed individuals, including fantastic balloon crews and impassioned pilots, all of whom helped create the spectacle the event is renowned for.

We saw the final commercial flight of balloonist and longtime Balloon Fest pilot, Mike England, who has been with the festival since its beginnings. Local pilot, former Balloon Fest Chairperson and present pilot liaison of the Balloon Fest Steering Committee, Brad Haege, was also acknowledged with the prestigious High Fly Cup, which honors his time and dedication to Balloon Fest and the sport of hot air ballooning.

The Greater Centralia Chamber of Commerce would also like to thank our incredible, hard-working executive committee and sub-committees!

These committee members work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure every Balloon Fest is all that it can be. They plan months ahead of time to make the event seamless, and truly are the backbone of the annual celebration.

The event would also not be possible without the continued support and contributions of our amazing sponsors!  We cannot thank our sponsors enough, as nearly every single thing that happens in the park is assisted or made entirely probable through their assistance.

The Balloon Fest is truly a community event, and the endless support we see from local businesses, organizations and families is more than proof of that.

This year’s sponsors were:

MAIN STAGE SPONSOR

·       SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital

·       SSM Health St. Mary’s Medical Staff

ENTERTAINMENT SPONSORS

·       Bayer Crop Science

·       Pepsi Mid-America

·       Tequila Mexican Restaurants & Taco Jo’s

VIP SPONSORS

·       American Legion Post 446 & Veterans Foreign Wars Post 2055

·       The Insurance Alliance

·       Kaskaskia College

TETHERED BALLOON RIDE SPONSOR

·       Tim Hudspeth for Marion County States Attorney

MAJOR SPONSORS

·       Best Western Plus / Scooters Coffee / Subway Restaurants

·       Bradford National Bank

·       Centaurus Financial – Barry Krupp & Chris Krupp

·       City of Centralia

·       ConAgra / Duncan Hines

·       Land of Lincoln Credit Union

·       Midland States Bank

·       Monken Auto

·       U.S. Army

·       Withers Broadcasting

BALLOON SPONSORS

·       Alpha & Omega Construction

·       Big 3 Precision Products

·       Colonial Golf Course

·       Crooked Creek Winery

·       Dimond Bros. Insurance

·       Dusty’s Outdoor Media

·       Geary Family

·       Illinois Air National Guard

·       Intermountain Electronics

·       Kuder Family

·       Macz Funeral Homes

·       Mid Am Building Supply

·       Plaza Verde Apartments

·       Resch Family

·       The Schwartstead

·       Smitty’s Body Shop & Towing

·       Southern Illinois Treasure Hunters

·       Southern Indiana Tourism Bureau

·       U.S. Bank 

·       Walmart

TENT SPONSORS

·       Bradford National Bank

·       Frontside 360 Photography

·       Leaffilter

·       Little Egypt Golf Cars

·       Illinois Air National Guard

·       Illinois Army National Guard

·       Renewal By Anderson - Windows

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

·       US Army Recruiting

IN-PARK ACTIVITY SPONSORS

·       Heritage Woods of Centralia

·       High Point Residence

·       Industrial Mechanical Contractors

·       Kretzers Bar and Grill

·       Salem Travel - Cardboard Boat Races

·       St. Clare Foundation

·       Weaver Tree Service - Car & Motorcycle Cruise-In

·       Winning Edge

CART SPONSORS

·       ACE Auto Sales

·       Bolin Enterprises

·       Brookside Valley Homes

·       Buchheit of Centralia

·       Buchheit of Centralia

·       Centralia Manor

·       Centralia Township

·       Chaney & Karch

·       Dons Body Shop

·       Farmer’s State Bank of Hoffman

·       Hair of the Dog

·       Hollywood Hair Salon & Spa

·       Hoyt Advisors

·       Jeff’s Chem Dry

·       Jerry’s Grill & Bar

·       Johnston Jewelers

·       Midwest Farm & Land

·       Orthopaedic Center of Southern Illinois

·       State Farm – Jack Graham

·       Straith’s Jewelry

·       Stratemeyer CPA & Tax Service

·       Swan Corporation

·       United Way of South Central Illinois

DUMPSTER SERVICES

·       G & G Roll Off Services

EXECUTIVE TRAILER

·       Shores Builders

FIRST AID SPONSORS

·       SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital

·       United Medical Response

FREE BIKE HELMET GIVEAWAY

·       SSM Health St. Mary’s Foundation

LIGHT STANDARDS

·       Guinzy Construction

·       Shores Builders

OPENING CEREMONY

·       Centralia High School Marching Showcase and Choir

PROPANE PARTNER

·       Centralia Propane

RETAIL PARTNER

·       Monroe Deen Apparel

TOURISM PARTNERS

·       Discover Downstate Illinois

·       Office of Illinois Tourism

·       See Centralia

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