<description>&lt;p&gt;On Septempber 27, 1986, The United Way of Greater Cleveland held Balloonfest. The organizers' goal was to set a world record for the simultaneous release of small helium-filled balloons. They hoped the event would improve Cleveland’s image. On that afternoon, the skies above Public Square were filled with nearly 1.5 million balloons, which were inflated by a corps of volunteers. By some accounts, however, the event that was intended to raise the standing of the city, quickly turned into a disaster. This is the true tale of Balloonfest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;0:00 - Introduction&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;5:19 - WKRP's Turkeys Away&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;9:56 - Cleveland's Ballonfest 86&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;58:35 - Wrap Up and Thank You&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow us on Facebook: &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/1980snow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://www.facebook.com/1980snow&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Subscribe to our YouTube channel: &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@1980snow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://www.youtube.com/@1980snow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read our new book &lt;a href="https://80its.captivate.fm/bogus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Totally Bogus (But True) Tales from the 1980s&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;</description>

1980s Now

Will Padilla | 80s Now

Balloonfest '86: Tragedy or Triumph?

NOV 26, 202561 MIN
1980s Now

Balloonfest '86: Tragedy or Triumph?

NOV 26, 202561 MIN

Description

On Septempber 27, 1986, The United Way of Greater Cleveland held Balloonfest. The organizers' goal was to set a world record for the simultaneous release of small helium-filled balloons. They hoped the event would improve Cleveland’s image. On that afternoon, the skies above Public Square were filled with nearly 1.5 million balloons, which were inflated by a corps of volunteers. By some accounts, however, the event that was intended to raise the standing of the city, quickly turned into a disaster. This is the true tale of Balloonfest.0:00 - Introduction5:19 - WKRP's Turkeys Away9:56 - Cleveland's Ballonfest 8658:35 - Wrap Up and Thank YouFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1980snow.Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@1980snowRead our new book Totally Bogus (But True) Tales from the 1980s!