JACKSON TWP. ‒ The drone show’s second year at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Balloon Classic is lining up to be even bigger and better with 500 drones.
That’s 200 more than last year’s debut.
“This is like going from a VHS tape to a Blu-Ray,” said Michael Sopczak, a Timken Co. employee involved in coordinating the show with coworker Aaron Grisak on behalf of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Both volunteers were still communicating with the Skyworx production team about designs and college students who are assisting with logistics while on vacation the week before the July 25 & 26 evening shows. The additional drones approved by the Chamber of Commerce are expected to speed up transitions and allow for more detailed images in the night sky.
“The detail that we’ll have this year with 500 drones is going to be a significant step up,” Grisak said.
Each night’s show will start at 9:45 p.m. with an acknowledgement of the Timken Co. as sponsor and then continue with a distinct storyline for about 12 minutes. Radio station 94.1 FM will broadcast the drone show’s audio.
The July 25th show will be related to football, showcasing the journey from pee wee to professional leagues. The July 26th show will pay homage to the start of the Balloon Classic in 1985.
“It’s going to basically take us back in time to the 1980s with 80s music, 80s shapes, kind of built all around that to celebrate the first balloon festival 40 years ago with what the times were back then,” Grisak said.
Balloon Classic drone show 2025
The whole process began with a discussion of show concepts between the volunteers, the chamber and Skyworx.
Sopczak developed a storyboard for first show and Grisak developed a storyboard for the followup show that they then shared with Skyworx.
The Las Vegas-based company returned with still images of what those sequences would look like with drones. Once those are “locked down,” Grisak said, they review how the images will move and be revealed to spectators.
Matching the shows to music is the last piece in the editing process that involves critiques and adjustments throughout.
“It really is kind of like developing a whole movie in the sky,” Grisak said.
Coordinating a drone show for the Balloon Classic
The drones will be launched 400 feet or more into the air from Kent State’s Stark campus — where setup will begin in the afternoon. The show is less weather-dependent than the balloon launches, which can be grounded because of wind.
“There’s a lot of logistics work that goes into it,” Grisak added.
Like charging 500 batteries. Grisak and Sopczak work with the balloon flight coordinator and fireworks crew to ensure the drone show timing doesn’t conflict.
Students enrolled in Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering also are part of the ground crew and work with the drone company. Grisak said the partnership was an immense help last year.
“They’re studying it,” he said. “They get some hands-on with professionals and get to build some contacts.”
Sopczak said he’s thrilled to bring something more often seen in larger cities to the area. He said this year’s shows will feature more drone animations and storytelling, largely thanks to the “mind-boggling” number of drones.
“We’re blessed to be able to be in charge of this,” Sopczak said.
Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323 or kelly.byer@cantonrep.com
This article originally appeared on The Repository: 500 drones to fill Stark County skies for the 2025 Balloon Classic in Jackson Township
Reporting by Kelly Byer, Canton Repository / The Repository
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