Those who attended the event primarily live in southwest Ohio, he said. Middletown zip codes represented 57% of those attending, followed by Dayton (6%), Hamilton (5%), Franklin (4.5%), Cincinnati (2.8%) and West Chester (2.3%).
He said 111 Ohio communities were represented at the event and nearly 3% of the attendance came from 18 states.
“The Ohio Challenge is grateful for the turnout and support it receives from the community,” Pearce said.
He said the Ohio Challenge committee will announce dates for the 2023 event soon.
The 19th Ohio Challenge featured hot-air balloons, skydiving, plane rides, fireworks and about 20 local food vendors.
The event, for the first time, used a jumbo video board that showed live interviews with performers, vendors and spectators on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The board is owned by Trace Fowler and Shaun Spurlock of Epic Image in Hamilton.
Team Fastrax, the Middletown-based professional skydiving team, had cameras attached to their helmets that showed skydivers from the time they entered the plane until they landed, Pearce said. The technology provided a behind-the-scenes look into skydiving, he said.
John Hart, co-owner of Start Skydiving, said he hopes to use the same technology in a hot-air balloon next year.
Another popular attraction was the tethered balloon rides, Pearce said. He said 225 people rode in the balloons Saturday.
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