Page 130 2013 Art & Balloon Festival, August 30, 2013
Special edition of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com
He may be a Pegleg,
but don't expect to see
Pete hopping along
on the sidelines
He may be a Pegleg, but don't expect to see Pete hop-
ping along on the sidelines
This year the special-shape balloon sponsored by the
city of Lincoln is going to have a familiar face in the
basket. Dave Reineke of Mahomet has been attending
the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival since 1990.
This year, Dave and wife Kathy, who is also a pilot and
flies the well-known Sunsational, will be introducing
their brand-new balloon, Pegleg Pete, to the festival.
Pete is a new balloon for the couple this year, and they
are excited to be coming to Lincoln to share him with
everyone here.
Reineke said that while Pete isn't an original design,
he is still extremely special. Pete was the creation of an
artist in Brazil and was actually built in St. Paul, Brazil,
for the Reinekes.
Like several balloonists, piloting and crewing the bal-
loon is a family affair. Reineke said that at the Lincoln
festival it becomes somewhat of a family reunion, as
his two grown daughters who live away from home
travel to Lincoln to join their parents in the weekend of
festivities.
Reineke said that Pete, while intricately designed, is not
a whole lot larger than regular balloons, so don’t expect
to see him hopping along the sidelines. Reineke said,
weather permitting, of course, Pete will be airborne
on both evening flights and is scheduled to glow one
night.
In addition, Reineke and Pete plan to compete in the
Saturday morning target toss. Reineke said he feels
like he’s fairly good at tossing the bag to the target, but
for him, it really isn’t the best part of the festival. “I’m
a P.T. Barnum-type guy,” Reineke said. “I enjoy the
show!”
The Reinekes do take in several ballooning events each
year. As a matter of fact, they were on their way home
from an event in St. John’s, Canada, when LDN caught
up with them on the phone.
Reineke began flying in 1990 and wife Kathy took it up
soon after. He said they enjoy coming to Lincoln each
year. They like the size of the festival and the opportu-
nity to spend time with other pilots.
[By NILA SMITH]
