When pigs fly ... at the Thurston Classic

For those who are wondering, the time is nigh: June 16 at approximately 6 p.m.

Weather permitting, of course.

That is when pigs — or in this case pig, singular — will fly.

And it will be hard to miss for those in the Meadville area. The flying pig in question is 120 feet tall with a volume of approximately 120,000 cubic feet. He wears a pair of blue overalls with a hole in the back for his cute curly tail, has a cob of corn in one back pocket to remind spectators of his occupation, and on his face is what Jordan Cox described as a mischievous smirk.

"Pigs always fly when I fly," said Cox, pilot and owner of Chris P. Bacon, the Farmer Pig, the featured special shape balloon at the 2023 Thurston Classic. Cox was speaking to The Meadville Tribune via telephone, but his tone suggested a mischievous grin of his own.

The Thurston Classic, a feature of Father's Day weekends in Meadville since the 1980s, will welcome Chris P. Bacon and 17 other hot-air balloons beginning June 15. The free festival roars to life with the Joyce Stevens Memorial Night Glow that evening and continues with an evening race the next day. June 17 brings morning and evening races, and the fun concludes with a morning race on June 18. All of the events are weather dependent with Allegheny College's Robertson Athletic Complex, 204 Park Ave., serving as takeoff and landing area.

If the balloons do indeed take off and fly over the city, it will be the first time they have done so for the Thurston Classic since 2019. The 2020 Thurston was canceled due to the pandemic. Several balloons flew over the city in early June 2021 as part of a tribute to longtime Thurston organizer Ted Watts, who died due to complications from COVID-19 in late 2020.

When the Thurston returned last year, the balloons remained earthbound due to uncooperative weather, according to Darrel Whitney, a member of the committee that organizes the event.

"We’re praying for clear skies and great weather and an awesome event for all of Crawford County to enjoy on Father's Day weekend," Whitney said Tuesday. "It's a great activity for all ages to get outside and be in nature and enjoy this lovely thing that has been around since the birth of aviation."

While balloon rallies like the Thurston are not unique to Meadville, Whitney noted that the city is part of a relatively small club — especially in Pennsylvania — that hosts such events. In addition, the perennial nature of the Thurston, now taking place for the 33rd time, means that multiple generations of area residents have spent memorable parts of their Father's Day weekends looking up.

But they have never before seen a flying pig when doing so.

Cox's balloon journey dates back to before he turned 3 years old, when he asked for a fan for his birthday. When he received it, he tied a sheet down, using the fan to "inflate" it, and hopped in a laundry basket to use as his gondola. He told his family, which crewed for a pilot off and on as he grew up near Indianapolis, Indiana, that he would be a pilot when he grew up.

"And here we are," Cox added with a laugh. The journey picked up speed about 10 years ago when he began pilot training. By early 2015, Cox owned his first balloon and earned his private pilot's license, adding a commercial license in 2017. He purchased Chris P. Bacon about two years ago after having flown special shape balloons belonging to others. The decision had more to do with the desire for a statement-making balloon than any specific interest in pigs, but the porcine theme didn't hurt.

"He had the most personality, and it's been a fun shape since," Cox said of Chris P. Bacon. "I do love bacon — who doesn't love bacon?"

When it comes to piloting, however, the prodigious porker — or what Whitney referred to as "the high-flyin’ hog" — does present some challenges despite the widespread appreciation of that fatty treat.

The sheer size of the balloon means a pilot has to be careful about landings.

"You can land in tight areas, but you need the space to lay it down," Cox said of the post-landing pack-up process that takes a crew of several that sometimes results in shorter-than-average flights. "My rule of thumb is try not to pass up good landing spots."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at [email protected].

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