2013 Art & Balloon Festival, August 30, 2013
Special edition of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com Page 17
The Irelands are well known in the
community as one of those couples
who are always ready to lend a
helping hand to whoever needs it.
Nancy has for many years been the
lead coordinator of the annual MS
Walk in Lincoln and works dili-
gently to keep that event growing.
The Irelands have also been very
active with the balloon festival
since its inception 25 years ago.
They began with the festival as vol-
unteers, but when Jim attained his
pilot’s license, they happily took to
the skies with fellow balloonists in
their beautiful balloon, Sunglow.
Ballooning by the Irelands, like
many other pilots, has been a fami-
ly affair throughout the years. Both
of their daughters have been ac-
tively involved in ballooning, with
daughter Brenda working hard as a
crew member and daughter Sherry
serving oftentimes as a co-pilot.
In addition to piloting, the Irelands
also dedicate their time each year
to serving as pilot co-coordinators
for the Lincoln festival.
For the Irelands, the excitement of
ballooning involves not only taking
to the skies but also going to new
places and making new friends
along the way. The Irelands have
flown in several states and have
even attended the country’s largest
festival, in Albuquerque, N.M.
One of Jim’s favorite and most
significant accomplishments as a
pilot is a flight he made in 1996.
In that flight, Ireland lifted off in
Macomb. Four hours and 232 miles
later, he touched ground just south
of Bloomington, Ind.
Below is a copy of the resolution
passed by the city of Lincoln on
Monday:
WHEREAS, August 23-25, 2013
will mark the 40th Annual Art &
Balloon Festival in Lincoln; and
WHEREAS, Jim and Nancy
Ireland took their first balloon
ride in Napa Valley in 1985
which led to a love of ballooning
and Jim flying his first balloon in
1989; and
WHEREAS, Nancy has always
been Jim’s crew chief as they
have flown in balloon events
across Illinois and in the Albu-
