Alton Automobile Club Hosts Balloon Blowing Contest

The club's annual banquet at Mineral Springs Hotel featured prizes, speeches, and dancing.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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In 1926, the Alton Automobile Association (also known as the Alton Automobile Club) held its annual banquet at the Mineral Springs Hotel, which included a novel balloon blowing contest with prizes for the largest balloons blown without breaking. The event also featured a turkey dinner, speeches by committee chairs, and dancing to live music.

Why it matters

The balloon blowing contest was a unique and lighthearted addition to the Alton Automobile Association's annual banquet, reflecting the social and community-building aspects of early automobile clubs in the 1920s. The event provides a glimpse into the activities and interests of automobile enthusiasts in Alton, Illinois a century ago.

The details

The balloon blowing contest offered prizes for both men and women, including scholarships, smoking sets, silk neckties, and Japanese cups and saucers. The winners were announced in the local newspaper, though the grand prize winner was not specified. In addition to the contest, the banquet featured a turkey dinner, speeches by the association's committee chairs, and dancing to the music of George Miller's orchestra. A caricature artist was also in attendance.

  • The balloon blowing contest was held on February 13, 1926 during the Alton Automobile Association's annual banquet.
  • The winners of the contest were announced in the Alton Evening Telegraph on February 17, 1926.

The players

Alton Automobile Association

Also known as the Alton Automobile Club, this was an early automobile enthusiast organization in Alton, Illinois that hosted social events and advocated for the interests of drivers.

W.G. Swope

The chairman of the Alton Automobile Association's membership committee, who offered a three-month scholarship to Brown's Business College as the grand prize for the balloon blowing contest.

Mrs. George K. Worden

A member of the Alton Automobile Association who gave a speech at the banquet about the freedom and joy of automobile travel.

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What they’re saying

“in a prettily worded speech told of the freedom of the auto, of its being a declaration of independence and a passport to transportation, and she told of the trip of their family to California and of the tourists camps and the courtesies shown and the joy of the open road, leading whither you may wish to go.”

— Mrs. George K. Worden (Alton Evening Telegraph)

The takeaway

The Alton Automobile Association's balloon blowing contest at its annual banquet highlights the social and community-oriented nature of early automobile clubs in the 1920s, which sought to bring together enthusiasts through unique events and activities beyond just advocating for drivers' interests.