ALEXANDRIA, Indiana USA — All eyes were pointed toward the hot blue sky Sunday afternoon at a model rocket launch event hosted by the 4-H Club.

About 29 school-aged youth participated in the “Aerospace” model rocketry event, which was founded in Madison County in 1979. The winners of the event will have their rockets displayed at the Madison County fair in Alexandria, and later at the state fair in Indianapolis.

“For less than $20 you can do a project, and show it at the fair,” said Greg Valentine, a 4-H’er who leads a group of rocket builders from southern Madison County. “Some of our (rocketry participants) have gone on to be aeronautical engineers.”

The event boasted a range of rockets, from tricked-out ones decorated with American flags and Superman stickers, to humorous rockets, like the one in the shape of a portable outhouse.

Justin Lechlitner, 16, a junior at Liberty Christian School, said that he’s been building rockets for 4-H for six years.

“It’s fun building the rockets,” said Lechlitner. “You get to design your own, and do what you want. It’s fun to see how they fly because you’re not really sure what’s going to happen.”

The rockets were launched from pads in the middle of a field on County Road 400 North. Some rockets shot straight into the sky, disappearing against the clouds, and then sailing gracefully back to the earth via their built-in parachutes.

Jack Fisher, 11, of Alexandria, launched a rocket with an egg inside; when the rocket returned to earth, the egg was still intact.

“I just like seeing if the rocket turns out good,” said Fisher.

Hannah Spooner, 11, launched a rocket that went so high, it looked destined to reach the moon.

“It’s really a lot of hard work,” said Spooner. “I think it went up pretty high though.”

The rocketry club in Madison County was started 21 years ago by Gene Heath. He said that 4-H asked him to open a club, and his son Tim, then 13, was one of the first in the county to participate. Now Tim is a rocketry club head, and his son Brandon is a rocketry enthusiast too — this year, Brandon worked security at the event.

“We started out with seven kids, and then it grew into three clubs spanning the whole county,” said Gene Heath.

“Rocketry is all I do,” said Tim Heath.

Copyright © 2007, The Herald Bulletin.