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The Wizard of Oz might never have been blown out of Kansas if Ryan Carlton had been around.
As a teenager the Danville native began furnishing weather information, including wind direction and speed in roughly 100-foot increments, to let hot air balloonists know if it was safe to fly that day.
The data is now available on websites that are used nationally.
"I know pilots all over the country that use his website for wind conditions. Commercial pilots and other operators use it," said Byron Denhart, balloon meister for the Danville-based Balloons Over Vermilion.
In the realm of hot-air ballooning, Carlton, now 37, is a rock star.
His peers in the Balloon Federation of America named him the winner of the Shields-Trauger award at the Albuquerque (N.M.) International Balloon Fiesta, which ended Sunday.
The Shields-Trauger is the federation's highest special award.
Wind speed and weather conditions in general are vital safety concerns for hot air ballooning.
The area where the flight takes place is also important.
"In Albuquerque you could fly into the desert in giant open spaces at a faster speed, maybe 10-20 mph," Carlton said. "In town you want to be closer to 1-5 mph because you're landing in someone's back yard or between power lines or in a parking lot."
Carlton said when flying in the Danville area, where there's lots of farm ground, anything under 10 mph is generally safe.
This marks Carlton's 30th year in ballooning. At 7 years old, his family began sponsoring a balloon at the Oldsmobile Balloon Classic in Danville. He and his family would serve as the ground crew for a balloon piloted by a husband and wife team.
"We had a couple years in a row it got rained out," which was disappointing, Carlton remembers. "My dad said, 'You get so excited doing this. We should get one,'" so they could go ballooning more often.
The family bought a balloon in 1997 when Carlton was 10. Now father (Dean) and son both have balloons -- each with a canine influence.
Ryan's balloon is called Barx, and Dean's is Wagz. Each features the face of a golden retriever.
"That became a family hobby at that point," Ryan said.
Ryan started taking flight lessons at age 14.
"For the longest time I would hop in the basket to fly with dad," he said. "After college in 2011 is when I got my private license. In 2013 I got my commercial pilot's license."
A commercial pilot's license allows you to get paid for flying people for hire, to fly corporate balloons and to serve as a flight instructor.
"I teach other people how to fly balloons," Carlton said.
While he attended Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where he majored in electrical engineering, Carlton's day job is technology manager for Danville Public Library.
Carlton said most of his major tech accomplishments have been things he's taught himself while working on other projects.
Denhart said Carlton's tech ability was evident early on.
"He has more of a technical mind," Denhart said. "What he builds is digital. His mind works that way.
"On top of that he's a heck of a pilot too. He's made a lot of contributions to the sport. It's helped make us safer pilots."
Denhart said Carlton is deserving of the award. Ten of his peers nominated Carlton for the honor, each writing a letter of recommendation.
In addition to the weather information Carlton provides for Balloons Over Vermilion and other balloonists, during the COVID-19 pandemic when people weren't able to assemble in 2021, cameras were sent out to seminar speakers. Carlton edited those talks so the balloon federation members could view them virtually.
Carlton said there's a lot to love about hot air ballooning:
"It's a 50/50 thing between the people you get to meet ... and it puts you in touch with nature.
"When people see balloons they get happy, all different kinds of people in all walks of life. You can share your passion with them."
While aloft, "you're fully at the discretion of the wind. All steering is done by riding the currents of the wind. We control the up and down."
Carlton and his family come to the Albuquerque festival yearly. He said it's the most photographed event in the world. Crew members who live there have become like family.
"It's like a family reunion," Carlton enthused. "Then we all go out and fly balloons together."
Two websites maintained by Carlton include ryancarlton.com (balloonists' wind forecast, currently offline) and ltaweather.com (dashboard of weather information sites for balloon flight planning).
MANZANA NAMED CRIME STOPPERS CHIEF
Lt. Greg Manzana has been named the new law enforcement coordinator for Champaign County Crime Stoppers.
Manzana has worked in law enforcement for more than 22 years and serves as the investigations lieutenant for the Champaign Police Department.
As Crime Stoppers coordinator, he will be responsible to ensure Crime Stoppers tips are distributed to the appropriate law enforcement agency to investigate and notifies Crime Stoppers' board of directors of tips that successfully lead to an arrest so a reward can be paid.
Manazna called it an honor to work with Champaign County Crime Stoppers, which was founded in 1986.
CS President John Hecker said The organization has been "extremely fortunate to work "with the very best law enforcement coordinators in the country."
"Unlike many other Crime Stoppers programs in the U.S. that see a lot of turnover in the coordinator position, our program has been extremely fortunate to have had only three coordinators throughout our 38-year history."
WOODS BOOK SIGNING SET AT LIBRARY
Michael Woods, a local retired educator, will conduct a book signing at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, in Room B at Champaign Public Library.
He will have available his book, "America's Inequality; From the American Dream to the American Reality," which explores the validity of the nation's claim to provide equal opportunity for all citizens.
The book takes a close look at the belief America is a land where life is better, richer and fuller for everyone. It examines the extent to which all Americans enjoy the same opportunity to achieve according to their ability.
It also explores the extent to which America's leaders and institutions have failed to make the American dream a reality for everyone by allowing discrimination through race, gender, religion and social class to interfere with the democratic values upon which the United States was founded.
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ARTISTS' RECEPTION SET THURSDAY
An opening reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Art Coop for Comrades in Art, a group of local women artists, for their annual group exhibition.
The group's exhibition will run through Nov. 14 at the Art Coop Gallery in Lincoln Square, Urbana.
The show features 24 artworks, most of them paintings.
The gallery is open during art coop hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The exhibiting artists are Judith Baker-Barrows, Debra Bolgla, Beth Chasco, Rashmi Kapoor, Sarah Marjanovic, Melinda McIntosh, Melissa Merli, Pat Baron Monigold, Lynn Hawkinson Smith, Sara Taber, Sharon Wenda and Martha Willi.
Ten percent of the sales will be donated to Courage Connections, a local organization that helps victims of domestic violence and homelessness. Comrades in Art also gives money each year toward scholarships for Parkland College art students.
TURNER PROMOTED TO DANVILLE FIREFIGHTER
Tyler Turner has been appointed to the position of firefighter with the Danville Fire Department, effective Oct. 2.
Turner started his career with the department Nov. 11, 2013.
He has been assigned to the rank of fire lieutenant at Fire Station No. 2 on 3rd Battalion, serving the city's north end.
Turner is certified as an advanced technician firefighter, fire apparatus engineer, fire instructor I, hazardous materials technician, and company fire officer I.
He was also a volunteer firefighter for the Kickapoo Fire Protection District.
A swearing-in ceremony for Turner will take place at 9 a.m. Nov. 1 in the lower chambers of City Hall, officiated by Mayor Rickey Williams Jr.
RTHS TO HOST FALL PLAY
Rantoul Township High School will present the play "The Tag Out" Oct. 24-26 in the school cafetorium.
The improvised long form of the play will be different each night.
There are high-stakes situations involving characters with poor impulse control, and the audience will help determine the situation from which everything unfolds.
The cast: Jac Corbin, Marisa Crosbie, Mikal Davis, Ruth Karanja, Felipe Martin, Lore Isacs, Lylo Newman, Destiny Sellers, Faith Sellers and Jimena Valles-Alvarez.
Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults.
QUILTS TELL THE STORY
Three veterans were presented with Quilts of Valor Saturday at the Illini Country Stitchers Quilt Show in Savoy.
Diana Ostrander from Rantoul is an Air Force veteran who served at Chanute Air Force Base, Rantoul and Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio, 1984-88. She was recalled in 1990-91 during the Persian Gulf War.
She achieved an honorable conditions rank at discharge and then upon recall in 1990-91 was an E4. She is a nurse at Carle Hospital.
Albert Kiifner from Mahomet received a Quilt of Valor for his service in the U.S. Army from September 1969 to July 1975.
He served stateside at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.; Fort Ben Harrison, Ind.; Fort McCoy, Wis.; Fort Polk, La., and Fort Hood, Texas. He was honorably discharged as a sergeant.
James A Browning Sr. of Westfield, Ind., served in the U.S. Army from 1966-1970 and received an honorable discharge at the rank of E4.
He served in Manheim,Germany, and Fort Carson.
To nominate a veteran use www.qovf.org/nominations-awards. Nominations will be forwarded to a local group near the veteran for presentation.
URBANA ROTARY HOSTS PEACE POLE
Urbana Rotary hosted a peace pole project Oct. 5 at the Urbana Fall Fusion Festival.
The public was invited to join the Rotarians in painting the pole.
Urbana Rotary Club is designated a peace-building club.
The Peace Pole has become the symbol for many Rotary clubs -- to be designed and installed in a variety of creative ways in many communities throughout the world.
Most peace poles contain the message "may peace prevail on earth," sometimes in different languages, and are designed and installed in a variety of creative ways in many communities throughout the world.
A large number of area residents stopped by the booth to paint or visit the Rotarians.