(really long) article on rantoul, credits inside

[cyberskydive 0]

Sky divers rave about new location


By TIM MITCHELL
© 2002 THE NEWS-GAZETTE
Published Online August 18, 2002


Sky diver Ike Eichenlaub says he can't wait to return to Rantoul a year from
now for the next World Free Fall Convention.
"Will I be back? Wild horses couldn't drag me away," Eichenlaub said. "When
I left Rantoul, I was sorry it was over. But I was thrilled because I knew
we had found a new home.
"With how well things went this past week, the turnout is bound to be huge
next year."
Rantoul officials hope a lot of sky divers are thinking like Eichenlaub as
they attempt to make the convention an annual fixture at the Rantoul
airport.
The convention appears to have boosted the local economy, and the police
didn't have too much extra work on their hands.
Mayor Neal Williams believes this could be the signature event Rantoul has
been trying to find to give it an identity. And on Tuesday, the Rantoul
Village Board directed Village Administrator Gary Adams to begin
negotiations to produce a long-term contract to keep the World Free Fall
Convention in Rantoul.
"To see the look on people's faces and to see the energy that the
participants brought to the area, I know that the World Free Fall Convention
has been a shot in the arm. Not only for Rantoul's economy, but for our
community's spirit as well," Williams said. "Hoopeston has its sweetcorn
festival. Arcola has its broomcorn festival. Sky diving is something Rantoul
can build on from year to year."
William Smith, an associate professor of travel and tourism at Eastern
Illinois University, said it will take enthusiasm and involvement by local
citizens to make the convention a lasting tourism event for northern
Champaign County.
"It takes great leadership and participation by volunteers who have a
commitment to a festival before it can become a signature event," Smith
said. "Local people make it happen."
World Free Fall organizers moved the convention this year to Rantoul after
participation sank to a seven-year low as it ended a 12-year run in Quincy.
Convention Public Relations Director Beth Mahlo said this year's event drew
3,500 participants, up from 3,244 in 2001.
Mahlo estimated those participants completed 63,000 jumps, with the vast
majority on the first nine days of the festival. Parachutists attempted very
few jumps the final day due to high winds.
The convention drew another 1,000 support personnel and an estimated 20,000
spectators, with the largest crowds on the final three days of the festival,
Mahlo said.
Mahlo said the convention sent surveys to the sky divers to find out what
they thought about Rantoul.
"From our preliminary data, I'd say, yes, we're interested in coming back,"
Mahlo said.
Of 48 sky-diving participants interviewed last week by The News-Gazette, 39
said they would definitely return, and the other nine said they would likely
come back.
Michelle Davison, of Shreveport, La., said she loved the facilities at the
Rantoul airport.
"Everybody is so friendly, and it is easy to make friends here," Davison
said. "I wouldn't miss next year's convention for the world."
Some of the participants were disappointed that a Boeing 747 jet that was
going to allow 250 sky divers to jump at the same time was not able to make
an appearance at the convention.
Mahlo said the jet's appearance was canceled when the jet owner's insurance
carrier, Lloyds of London, pulled its policy at the last minute following
the two deaths at the event.
"The insurance company informed the jet owner about 48 hours before the 747
was supposed to be here that they would not insure it," Mahlo said.
If Rantoul is going to keep the convention, Williams said, the village will
have to look at building additional shower facilities at the airport to
serve the participants, most of whom stayed in a giant tent city on the
site.
Adams estimated that adequate shower facilities in a steel-frame building
with a concrete floor could be built for $75,000. Whether the village or the
convention would pay for the showers will be determined in contract
negotiations between the two sides, Adams said.
Several participants reported standing in long lines to take showers during
the 10-day event.
"We didn't have any on-site showers when we landed the event," Williams
said. "So the convention brought in two trailers from London, Ky., that were
set up for showers."
Williams said he has been talking with convention President Don Kirlin about
building permanent showers at the Rantoul airport site.
"We could have 100 showers, and it still would be an issue," said Mahlo.
"The problem is that we have 5,000 bodies that all need to be washed at the
same time. But we are exploring the potential of building a shower house if
we stay in Rantoul."
Williams said a long-term contract with the convention would need to be in
place before any permanent additions would be added to the site. He said the
sky divers gave him a standing ovation Friday when Kirlin introduced him.
"When I spoke to them about making Rantoul their home, they were very
appreciative and loud in voicing their support," Williams said.

Free fall convention boosts sales in Rantoul
RANTOUL - The runways at Rantoul's airport hadn't seen so much traffic since
the Vietnam War era, when military planes took off and landed around the
clock at Chanute Air Force Base.
Planes made an average of 950 flights a day during the recent World Free
Fall Convention sky-diving event, according to Rantoul Aviation Specialist
Bill Clayton.
That's about the same number of flights the Air Force completed here daily
before 1971, according to Chanute historian Don Weckhorst.
"This week reminded us of the old days when we constantly saw planes flying
overhead," village board member Helen Lewis said.
Clayton said the village sold 61,442 gallons of airplane fuel at the
convention. Rantoul's airport sold 70,467 gallons during the entire year of
2001.
"We did nearly a year's worth of business in one week," Clayton said.
With Rantoul making 7 cents profit per gallon, the village cleared $4,300 in
fuel sales alone.
Rantoul businesses generally reported stronger-than-normal sales during the
10 days of the festival. Glenn Duvall, owner of P&G Produce of Onarga, which
runs a vegetable stand at the weekly Rantoul Area Chamber of Commerce
Farmers' Market, said his sales increased by 20 percent.
"When I first heard the sky divers were coming here, I didn't think it would
affect my business, but I was wrong," Duvall said. "I saw a lot of people
pulling in with out-of-state license plates. I'd love for them to come back
next year."
Gary Miller, manager of the Rantoul Wal-Mart, said his store saw significant
sales increases.
"We did real well," Miller said. "It was a great event, well-run and great
for our business."
Steve Early, assistant manager of the Rantoul IGA, said his store
experienced increased sales of meat, charcoal, bottles of water, fruit
juices and Gatorade.
"We had people who were holding cookouts at the convention for 20, 30 or 40
people a night, and they kept coming back buying meat supplies," Early said.
"I think the convention was good for Rantoul overall."
Janet Warner, owner of United Fuel, said sales of gasoline, pizza and other
items at Wink's Amoco in Rantoul increased 2 percent from the previous week
or from the previous month.
Eric Meyer, owner of Pia's Sports Bar in Rantoul, reported sales were up
between 10 percent and 15 percent.
Vendors at the convention site reported brisk business, with some reporting
sales increases of up to 41 percent from 2001, according to World Free Fall
Convention Executive Director Bernice Eickelschulte.
Bill Magrini, co-owner of Bad Pig Catering, which served pork at the event,
said he was pleased with his sales.
"The people were friendly, and I didn't see any problems out there," Magrini
said.
Chris Martin of Dunlap, Tenn., who sold parachute canapes at the convention,
said his sales were higher than a year ago.
"There are more people here than we saw last year in Quincy," he said.

Fewer troubles with police, says chief
Rantoul Police Chief Paul Dollins said police made one arrest during the
World Free Fall Convention sky-diving event earlier this month.
According to a police report, one sky diver borrowed the van of another
participant on Aug. 9. When the sky diver failed to return with the van by
the next morning, the van's owner called police.
Police found the van at 6:13 a.m. Aug. 10 in the 200 block of East Frost
Avenue. Dollins said the driver, Damon Mhoon, 25, of Albuquerque, N.M., had
purchased a bottle of alcohol and had passed out in the van. In the back
seat, police found several guns that belonged to the owner of the van.
Police arrested Mhoon for unlawful use of firearms and took him to the
Champaign County Jail, where he later posted bail.
The Rantoul event was a stark contrast to last year's event, when Quincy
police had a dozen or so arrests, and there were complaints about public
nudity and underage drinking.
Dollins said he kept two officers on duty around the clock throughout the
festival, with four officers on duty each night from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. He
said the police department spent $9,000 to pay for overtime costs for
officers patrolling the convention.
"We did not have one fist-fight or one brawl, to my knowledge," Dollins
said. "We had no drug arrests or driving under the influence arrests.
"The only things that tarnished the week, from our point of view, were the
two fatal injuries. We knew there was a strong probability that a sky diver
might be killed in a parachute incident, but we didn't expect two fatalities
in the event's first three days."
Timothy Kalendek, 32, of Joppa, Md., was killed by helicopter blades while
videotaping a friend on Aug. 2, and Walter "Skip" Hublein, 45, of Urbana,
died as he tried to make a landing at a swoop pond on Aug. 4.
Sky diver John Bailey of Kansas City, Mo., said Rantoul's police tend to be
more cooperative with the sky divers than Quincy police.
"The police force in Quincy was overzealous last year," Bailey said. "It
felt uncomfortable with such a big police presence. Here the police know we
are on vacation, and they aren't obtrusive during party time late at night."
Rantoul Fire Chief Richard Quick said the only fire call the department
received during the convention was a request to stand by while sky divers
burned some couches in a traditional bonfire on the event's final evening.
Rantoul Mayor Neal Williams said he was pleased about the lack of criminal
activity at the convention.
"The convention had a terrific security staff, and our police department did
an excellent job of being there if needed," Williams said. "We had heard
about possible police problems when the event was in Quincy, but it never
materialized here."
Williams, who also serves as Rantoul liquor commissioner, said he was
unaware of any liquor violations at the 2002 convention. The village issued
five special-event liquor licenses for the event: the convention, Extreme
Goods of Quincy, The Landing Strip in Rantoul, Pia's in Rantoul, and the
Caddyshack in Rantoul.

Police & Rescue Calls at World Free Fall Convention
Calls received by Rantoul emergency personnel to the World Free Fall
Convention between 7 a.m. Aug. 2 and 5 p.m. Aug. 11:

10 ambulance calls
- Two deaths
- Eight broken legs or other injuries

22 police calls
- Nine people escorted from the festival grounds for not having the proper
wristbands
- Six people locked out of cars
- Six complaints about loud noise and fireworks
- One arrest for unlawful use of weapons

1 fire call
- Asking firefighters to stand by during bonfire

Source: Rantoul
Police Chief Paul Dollins

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