The world of balloon entertainment, by Dale Obrochta
Over the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to perform my kid’s balloon entertainment for the Chicago White Sox. One of the neatest things about being a balloon entertainer is that I see things that the general public doesn’t have access to. As an entertainer, we check in early and see the pregame prep … Read more
I recently was balloon entertaining at a trade show in Raleigh, NC. This was the first time I’d been to Raleigh and was staying in the middle of downtown. It reminded me of being in Chicago’s downtown business district where everything shuts down right after the workday. Here is a picture from my hotel window.
This past weekend I was doing my kid’s balloon entertainment at the Glen Ellyn — Reid’s Ride for Research. The event had a large turnout for a day that was overcast and rainy. The guest of honor Reid wandered over by me so I made him a huge balloon hat to wear. This is Reid … Read more
National Geographic recently contracted me to work for their vendor’s kid’s party, and they placed me by a colorful balloon display sign that was 4′ x 8′ tall, which I thought read Balloon Animals. I did not pay much more attention to the sign until a little later, when I really stopped and read the … Read more
Over the years, I have noticed a trend among balloon entertainers to duplicate what others have done. The duplication of the design is to show that they, too, are just as skilled as their peers. The first instant I can recall was the craze to make a balloon cow. The cow craze – probably started … Read more
As a balloon entertainers, we get many people who try to stump us with strange requests. This past Christmas members of the Olympia Fields Country Club requested a drunken penguin which one of the Magical Balloon-dude Dale’s crew made. Now, these big kids (police officers) now have a running challenge going. They want to see … Read more
My first table of balloon entertaining this Easter at Olympia Fields Country Club was for a family with three kids. The cute little girl in her Easter dress wanted an Easter Bunny. The two boys wanted first a snake, and then a car, then both wanted birds. The two boys finally chose a vulture and … Read more
This is an interview I did in 1997 with Weatherman Paul Konrad, WGN-TV Morning News. This was my first TV appearance on WGN-TV. My father and I arrived at the station at 6:30 am and didn’t go on until 8:40 pm. My dad drove me to the WGN station. I had no idea where it … Read more
I was entertaining with balloons at the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The crowd size for this event reached 1,500-2,000 people. Luckily, I wasn’t the only balloon twister performing that day. There were four balloon artists and four face painters. The start was slow because of the Chicago St. Patrick’s … Read more