Shekinah Festival

The second Saturday in September is always the date for the Shekinah Christian School festival. Being a private school, this festival is the one and only major fundraiser for the school year. I became aware of it through my hot air balloon activities (1990-2001), through Dave Beachy, another Central Ohio balloon pilot with ties to the Mennonite community. There would be a dawn hot-air balloon liftoff, with the commercial pilots taking riders and the private pilots (such as yours truly) doing their part to enlarge the spectacle.

As we drove the last two miles to the school, ground fog built up. You could see straight up, but the trees at the edge of the field were misty and sometimes invisible. Not good for flying. Technically, the FAA requires one mile visibility for takeoff. (Takeoff for a balloon wouldn't be that difficult -- it's the prospect of not seeing a fence or power line on landing that's the worst.) Joan and I visited with the pilots and crew; some were friends we had not seen in years; some had joined the Central Ohio Balloon Club after we stopped flying. As the sun hit the dew, the fog grew taller, but not thinner, for another hour. The balloons didn't take off this year, but some adventurous power parachutists didn't seem to mind the fog. Once the worst was over, there were 5 or 6 parked there.

There's always a lot going on at this festival. The first thing we did (it was 7am) was buy coffee and long johns. Think of a pastry the shape and size of a hot dog bun, filled with pastry cream and with your choice of chocolate or caramel on top. Something to get your engine going.

There are pony rides, petting zoo (it's very kid-friendly!), kiddie trains, quilts on exhibit for later auction, all kinds of foods for sale (including on-the-spot apple butter), fire engines, and a general auction tent with items from the silly to the exquisite, all donated for the school fund-raiser. A simple ten-foot mound entertained the younger set and provided a stage for family pictures. I provide snapshots of just a few of the possibilities.

As for the balloons, maybe next year!