Beaver Island ArchiveA primary-source archive & encyclopedia45°40′N 85°33′W · Lake Michigan
Search

Event

Beaver Island Homecoming balloon reaches Greenbush, 1972

Also Nancy Wagner Homecoming balloon · 1972 Greenbush balloon

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeEvent
Dates1972-08-15 – 1972-08-21
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Event
Dates
1972-08-15 – 1972-08-21
Kind
Celebration
Where
Beaver Island
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
communityenvironment
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

During the 1972 Homecoming weekend, Nancy Wagner released a white balloon carrying her name and address from her Beaver Island yard. The Beaver Beacon said Ruth Bier later reported finding it near Greenbush, north of Oscoda, on the morning of August 15.

Evidence and limits

The source preserves a reported correspondence about the balloon. It does not establish the balloon’s route, the exact recovery location, or a meteorological or physical explanation for the flight.

Sources

  1. Says Nancy Wagner released a labeled white balloon about 6 p.m. from her yard during Homecoming and that Ruth Bier reported finding it near Greenbush on August 15; the report supplies no flight path or independent recovery record.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1972-08_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held eight-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1972-08_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Thanks the Barfell, Ziegert, and Fogg families for supplying and filling the Homecoming parade balloons; it does not add a complete materials or expense record.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1972-09_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held seven-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1972-09_Beaver-Beacon

Added 2 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island Homecoming balloon reaches Greenbush, 1972”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-homecoming-balloon-greenbush-1972/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, August 1972, “HOMEcoming.” (and 3 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

BibTeXRIS