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Viewfinder: Thaddeus Lowe Balloon Demonstration

Falls Church: Cherry Hill Park

Professor Thaddeus S. C. Lowe was one of the top American balloonists who sought the position of Chief Aeronaut for the Union Army.  On April 24, 1861 he made the first directed ascension to look for confederate troops in support of the war efforts in the North.

Kevin Knapp, retired army major and Balloon Federation of America Director, portrayed Thaddeus Lowe in Falls Church's Cherry Hill Park as part of a balloon demonstration educating and entertaining people about Lowe and the Civil War.

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