Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave's On the Ground Battle Creek series.

BATTLE CREEK, MI — During my 17-year career as a photojournalist with the Battle Creek Enquirer, I covered the Field of Flight many times. And I've had the great fortune to have flown in a balloon ten times or so with several local pilots. But it had been over ten years since I had covered the air show and balloon festival. Attending on assignment recently, I felt a bit like returning to a place I had been before, but was unsure of what it would be like now. It turned out to be like a delightful return home.

John GrapDuring 2002’s Field of Flight I was lucky enough to hitch a balloon ride and was looking in right direction when this moment came. I was working at the Battle Creek Enquirer at the time.With my media pass, I was invited to ride on a golf cart to the balloon pilots’ briefing. On the golf cart, I met Katie Nickolaou, a Harper Creek High School and Valparaiso University graduate, and currently a meteorologist with WLNS-TV in Lansing. Upon hearing her last name, I realized that I knew her family. Her late grandfather, George, had owned Oakland Hills Golf Course. And her Aunt Suzanne is one of my wife’s best friends. 

John GrapWLNS-TV in Lansing meteorologist Katie Nickolaou is a graduate of Harper Creek High School and Valparaiso University.As we rode, Katie shared her story with me. Katie’s fascination with the weather began in 2002 when she was just five years old. 

“My family and I were coming back one night from The Cascades in Jackson when we drove straight into a storm. The lightning, the wind, the rain, all of it was just beautiful to me,” she says. Then“in 2010 a tornado hit my grandparents' house on the other side of town, and in 2011 a tornado hit my house. It was pretty clear that being a meteorologist was what I was born to do,” she says.

John GrapPat Rolfe asks Katie Nickolaou if she wants to ride in his balloon.Patti Mitchell of the Field of Flight media team introduced Katie to balloon pilot Pat Rolfe of Seal Team Cynthia. He took her into the briefing to learn about the evening’s task and the weather.  

After the briefing, Pat asked Katie if she wanted to ride in his balloon that night. To say that she was excited about the opportunity was an understatement — she was ecstatic! 

John GrapPat Rolfe and his passenger Katie Nickolaou are ready for lift-off.During her flight, which went smoothly, she learned about the mechanics of hot air balloons, what it takes to become a pilot, and how the weather impacts balloon flights. 

John GrapPat Rolfe and his passenger Katie Nicolaou take off.“Flying with Pat was an incredible experience," says Katie. "As a meteorologist, I relish any chance I get to go up in the sky and see the weather from a different perspective, so this was a real treat. I can't thank  Pat and his team enough for this once-in-a-lifetime flight." 

John GrapPilots, their teams, and their balloons prepare and take flight on the evening of July 3.While Pat and Katie flew beyond the horizon, I remained at the airport with pilot Dale Wilson and his Seventh Heaven team to cover the Balloon Illume, which is when the balloons magically light up the night sky after dusk. 

Later, as I returned to my car, Katie's parents, Liz and Lou Nickolaou, drove by and recognized by. They rolled down their window and Liz said, “Hello John, we are Katie’s parents. She had a wonderful flight and told us you had taken pictures of her.”

It turned out that this was the second time I had taken a photo of one of their children for a news piece. Years ago I had taken a photo of their young son at the Bosserd Family Farm in Marshall.

What a fun coincidence and a great trip to the Field of Flight!

John GrapPilots, their teams, and their balloons prepare and take flight on the evening of July 3.