Balloon Platoon

The Balloon Platoon was born in 1974 when Dick Howard and the members of Pleasanton Presbyterian Mariners Ship 4 appeared in KNBR’s “Good Times Parade” in Pleasanton. For KNBR’s parade the next year, Dick had some truck inner tubes and an idea. With the help of his wife Joanne, Martha Mark and the ladies of Ship 4, they fashioned and designed the billowy white sailor suit which you see today. While Commodore Howard continued to carry his plunger baton, he replaced his old newspaper fore and aft hat for one which Admiral Lord Nelson would approve. Dick retired from the Platoon with 25 years of leadership, passing the Commodore baton to Dave Muck. The Platoon’s alternate Commodore is Hal Strunk.

Local Tri-Valley parade appearances in the early years brought invitations to other community celebrations. The Balloon Platoon has appeared in many Western parades such as the Fiesta Bowl, San Francisco Chinese New Year, DooDah, San Francisco Columbus Day, Pacific Grove’s Good ol’ Days, East-West Shrine Bowl, Holiday Bowl San Diego, Piedmont Fourth of July, and Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. The Balloon Platoon became nationally and internationally known through appearances at the Indy 500, Washington, D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival, London Christmas Parade, Edinburgh Cavalcade Parade, Singapore Chingay Parade, and Nice France Carnival and, Philadelphia July 4th Welcome America Parade.

The Platoon’s members are drawn from the membership of the Centerpointe Presbyterian Church. In 2005, the Balloon Platton marked 30 years of marching with a reunion celebration on the day of the Alameda County Fair Parade.

For more information about the Balloon Platoon, please email balloonplatoon@centerpointeweb.org