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Flying the Gentle Giants

Winchester Academy program on hot air ballooning

Steve and Jeanne Derebey will present “Hot Air Ballooning: Flying the Gentle Giants” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, at the Waupaca Area Public Library.

Free and open to the public, this is the first program of Winchester Academy’s Fall 2019 speaker series.

Steve Derebey, pilot, and Jeanne Dereby, crew chief, will share their 28 years of experiences with all aspects of this sport.

Steve began flying hot air balloons in 1981, training in the Nebraska area, where there was an active balloon community.

He has over 1,000 hours ballooning, including competitive flying, instructing, commercial flying and conducting flight exams for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Jeanne Derebey initially became involved with the sport of ballooning as a spectator in the early ‘80s.

Living in the balloon-rich area of Nebraska, she learned all aspects of piloting and the importance of a reliable crew person.

She welcomed the challenge of working on various types of balloons and crewed for many pilots, as well as volunteering as crew at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta during the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Winchester Academy programs are funded through sponsors and through tax-deductible donations.

Rita Harris submitted this program idea and sponsored the program.

For more information about Winchester Academy, check winchesteracademywaupaca.org, follow on Facebook, or contact Executive Director Ann Buerger Linden at 715-258-2927 or [email protected].

Winchester Academy fall schedule

• Sept. 23 – Soh-Hyun Park Altino and Dr. Jeannie Yu, “Faithful Geniuses: A Violin and Piano Recital in Celebration of Clara Schumann’s 200th Anniversary.” This program will be held at Danes Hall in Waupaca. All others will be in the library.

• Sept. 30 – Patrick Durkin, “Chronic Wasting Disease”: It Won’t be Ignored.”

• Oct. 7 – Stanley Temple, “Natural Soundscapes: Aldo Leopold and the Spirit of a Place.”

• Oct. 21 – Art Stevenson and David Tamres, “ The Physics of Musical Instruments.”

• Oct. 28 – Kevin Knopp, “Jewels of the Belle Epoque: French Painting at the Art Institute of Chicago.”

• Nov. 4 – “Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Save the World.”

• Nov, 18 – Robert Benada, “Apollo 50 Years After – What Now?”

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