Up and away at Conner Prairie

Looks like the folks at Conner Prairie in Fishers have beat White River State Park to the hot-air-balloon-ride punch. They plan to unveil a tethered balloon ride tonight as part of a $2.2-million exhibit called 1859 Balloon Voyage. The exhibit “will tell the remarkable story of how the first successful delivery of air mail via balloon happened to occur in Indiana,” Conner Prairie CEO Ellen M. Rosenthal said in a statement. “Our exhibit will, in the Conner Prairie way, be based on painstaking historic research, some of which was conducted in partnership with the Smithsonian Institute. It will place visitors at Courthouse Square in Lafayette in 1859 as the balloon rises” up to 350 feet into the air. The balloon even has a sponsor, locally based Ricker Oil Company, which is putting the logos for its BP and am/pm convenience stores on the balloon. It opens to the public on June 6. Need a refresher on the balloon plans for downtown Indianapolis? Check here.