Along with many traditional sports teams and clubs, Grande Prairie has also been home to a more unique sport, hot air ballooning. After Grande Prairie held the Canadian National Balloon Championships in 1979, local interest in ballooning began to rise. By 1980, locals had officially formed the Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club. On October 30, 1980, the secretary for the Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club, Harold Warner, described the aims of the group in a letter to the Alberta Free Balloonist Society, “This club will actively promote and serve the interests of sport Balloonists in the area of Grande Prairie, Alberta. Our initial membership is approximately 50 members.” Any person or organization could become a member of the Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club. Membership fees started at $25 per person. The Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club also worked closely with the Grande Prairie Hot Air Balloon Events Association, who planned larger events.
One of the first orders of business for the Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club was to procure a hot air balloon. According to the Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club, “Not only will this balloon fulfill our need for [a] balloon, but even more important would become a unique symbol of Grande Prairie. The promotional value to Grande Prairie would be tremendous.” The club contacted Cameron Balloons in England for the task. They commissioned a custom balloon that featured the trumpeter swan symbol along with the name of the balloon, the “Spirit of Grande Prairie.”
One of the problems with hot air ballooning is that it is not an easily accessible sport. The Spirit of Grande Prairie balloon that the Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club purchased was nearly $22,000 dollars. That’s about $78,000 in 2025. Though that was the price of a custom balloon, it is clear that owning a personal balloon was not in the budget for everyone. Additionally, the propane used to power the balloons can be costly. The Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club made it much easier and accessible for anyone to gain experience on hot air balloons. Through participating in club activities and promotional local events, people could experience riding in or even piloting hot air balloons. The club held and participated in local events where the public could experience hot air balloon rides. They also advertised private rides. In 1981 the Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club advertised balloon rides for $150. For members of the club, an hour of balloon time would have cost $35 per hour plus the cost of the propane used. Another cost-effective way to make it on a hot air balloon was to be a crew member. Multiple crew members were needed for balloon set-up, and often an extra person or two were needed on board for weight. The Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club made hot air ballooning much more accessible to the people of Grande Prairie.
In 1996, the Trumpeter Swan Balloon Club joined with the Grande Prairie Hot Air Balloon Events Association, forming one club. The Spirit of Grande Prairie hot air balloon continued to be used until 2004. The Grande Prairie Hot Air Balloon Events Association operated until it dissolved in 2013. Despite the lack of balloon clubs today, private balloons still often dot the skies of Grande Prairie.
The “Spirit of Grande Prairie” hot air balloon.
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