Great Pershing Balloon Derby

09/16/2026

Good news!!

We still have shirts available!

Limited sizes and quantities - they'll go fast - if you're interested head on up to NCM Graphics to get yours!

09/12/2026

We are still reminiscing on the 50th Great Pershing Balloon Derby and all the amazing pilots that helped make it possible!

So THANK YOU to the pilots who choose to travel and spend their holiday weekend with us. Without all of you we wouldn't have an event, let alone one that has survived 50 years. We hope to see all of you (plus some new faces - so get to recruiting 🤪) back next year for the 51st!

09/08/2026

We also want to take a moment and thank our Pilots who go above and beyond the scheduled events!
Some of them set up at local schools and nursing homes, and some even flew Friday night putting on an extra show for the community by flying right over town and the home football game!
We are grateful for all of our Pilots, but extra grateful for those who go above and beyond for our small community!

09/07/2026

A huge THANK YOU to all of our Pilots, Sponsors, Officials, Crew and Landowners for making the 50th Great Pershing Balloon Derby a success!
A very special THANK YOU to Ferrellgas for their corporate sponsorship! We really could not do this without all of your support!!
We also want to give a big THANK YOU to those who paid the minimal entry fees at the Launch Field. We count on those entry fees to keep the event going!

We hope to see all of you back next year, September 3rd-6th, 2027 for the 51st Great Pershing Balloon Derby!!

09/07/2026

50th Great Pershing Balloon Derby
September 4th - 7th, 2026
OFFICIAL RESULTS

Competition Results
1st - Mike Oberman from Queen City, MO.
2nd - Landon Olson from Indianola, IA.
3rd - Terry Montague from Centralia, MO.
4th - Tyler Thompson from Des Moines, IA.
5th - Gary Haynes from Indianola, IA.
6th - Benji Clemons from Norwalk, IA.
7th - Jim Wolters from Holts Summit, MO.
8th- Leroy Clair from Carlisle, IA

Petrehn Cup (awarded to the winner of the first task of the event)
Mike Oberman from Queen City, MO.

Basil Downey Memorial Launch Site Nite Lite
1st - Bill Clemons from Des Moines, IA.
2nd - Dennis Sutter from Hallsville, MO.

Parade
1st - Kenny Jay from Moberly, MO - sponsored by Myron Peacher Memorial
2nd - Eric Smith from Centralia, IL - sponsored by Sprague Farms
3rd - Patrick Shocklee from Kansas City, MO - sponsored by Verimore Bank

Next year's parade theme - Movies of the 90s!

Thank you to all of our pilots, sponsors, and crews! We hope to see you all back next year, September 3rd-6th, 2027 for the 51st Great Pershing Balloon Derby!

09/07/2026

Check out this BEAUTIFUL quilt that Marsha Hoskins had made! It has the last 25 years of tshirts in it!

It was on display for the pilots, sponsors, and crews at the Elks all weekend.
It will be donated to the National Balloon Museum in Indianola, IA where it will be on display for many years!!

09/07/2026

Good morning Brookfield!

Monday September 7th AM flight - unfortunately we are canceling this mornings flight & tasks due to gusty winds and rain in the area.

We thank everyone for supporting the Great Pershing Balloon Derby this year - we wish the weather would have been better!

We will post all official results later this morning.

09/06/2026

Good afternoon Brookfield! We will post all of this evenings flight updates here!

Sunday September 6th - 530pm briefing:
-Flights have been canceled due to winds and pop-up storms in the area
-Breifing at 7pm to discuss possibility of a glow.
‼️Due to the storms and lightning in the area we are closing the field to all activities for the safety of everyone. We are so sorry we couldn't do more tonight but we want to ensure everyone stays safe.

We will meet again in the morning at 630am to try one last time!

‼️6pm - Kenny Jay is going to inflate for the crowd!
‼️615pm - Kenny is coming down due to storms in the area

We are going to do everything we can to get some entertainment for you all tonight. So hang tight with us and fingers crossed we can make something happen!

🛑Please remember that if you come across pilots/ chase crews on the road to let them through and to not follow them onto private property.
🛑Follow ALL traffic laws - do not block roads or driveways and do not enter private property without permission
🛑The gravel roads are EXTREMELY dusty please have your headlights ON!

09/06/2026

‼️Tether rides will be delayed due to the wind speeds

If you are at the launch site listen for announcements on when they'll be able to start. I will do my best to update this post as well!

So sorry! 🤞Finger crossed they can get set up a little later!

‼️6pm update - Terry is going to try inflating and see how the balloon stands up in the wind. Stay tuned!

‼️615pm update- due to storms in the area the tethers had to come back down.

‼️630pm update- due to storms and lightning in the area the decision has been made to close the field to all activities for the safety of everyone.

So sorry we couldn't get better weather for the tethers this year. Let us know below if you'd like to see them back again in the future!

09/06/2026

Current standings after 1 task flown:

1st Mike Oberman
2nd Landon Olson
3rd Terry Montague

You can find the current standings here:

Results for Great Pershing Balloon Derby