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and that's the International Balloon Fiesta, which has been happening for the past 35 years.
First of all, I am not on the Fiesta Board of Directors; I am not a volunteer; I am not an employee of the city of Albuquerque or the Chamber of Commerce, so I have no interest in the Balloon Fiesta whatsoever.
I don't own a hot-air balloon, and I've never ridden in one! I was born in Albuquerque, N.
M.
, and for 35 of those years, I have witnessed one of the great events in America...
and this is my story! Before I go any further, and for those of you around the world, I will place Albuquerque, New Mexico on the map for you.
The state of New Mexico is located in the southwestern part of the United States with our good neighbors in Texas to the east; our good neighbors to the north in Colorado; our good neighbors to the west in Arizona; and our good neighbors to the south in the country of Mexico.
The metro city of Albuquerque has a population of about 500,000.
(And, yes we DO have electricity out here and running water!) Albuquerque is located in the north/central part of the state, where I-40 (Route 66) and I-25 (Pan American Freeway) come together, and is about a one hour drive to Santa Fe, N.
M.
to the north.
The Balloon Fiesta started out in 1971, with only 25 hot-air balloons, and was held at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds.
At that time, I lived only about a mile from the Fairgrounds, and I had never seen so many hot-air balloons gathered in one place in my lifetime! And, little by little over the years, the Balloon Fiesta has grown, so that by the year 2006, there are 700-800 hot-air balloonists participating from all across the United States and around the world! I have seen newspaper reports over the years, that there have been over a million people who have attended this event in past years, so the city of Albuquerque swells with people in the month of October.
In the crisp weather in the first and second week-end of October, is when the ten day event is held.
If you're a person who likes a lot of color around you...
THIS EVENT IS FOR YOU! "Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.
" Melba Colgrove The first 200 balloons are laid out on the ground, next to each other, and when the hot air from the propane fuel lifts the envelope of the balloon, they are quietly standing there, almost touching each other in a glorious array of colors! The visitor is lost in a sea of color, as the balloons prepare to lift off! To describe the feeling of walking among these colorful giants, is almost impossible! The a-h-h-h-h-h's and o-o-o-o-o-o-h's of the huge crowd, tells the story! At 7:00AM on the morning of the start, or ascension as it's called...
two hundred balloons lift off in the first phase of the opening of the Fiesta! Every thirty minutes a group of 200 balloons line up on the ground and lift off into the heavens! Followed by the next 200 balloons...
followed by the next 200, until all 700-800 balloons are in the sky! A sight you won't soon forget! Awesome; fantastic; incredible; unforgettable...
are the words I use to describe this event! What a spectacular sight, as the balloons dot the sky all over the city and the Rio Grande river valley! Color is everywhere! My favorite balloons from day one, have been the special-shapes balloons! The creativity, ingenuity, and imagination, that goes into the manufacturing of these balloons is amazing! I never get over how creative these balloons can be! Special-shapes balloons such as the following: Garfield; Boo-Boo Bear; the piggy-bank; a stork/w baby; the Ark, with little animal characters looking over the side of the ship; a huge football; a huge soccer ball; a bottle of wine; an old tennis shoe; a folded newspaper; a bumblebee; a mailbox; a sun, wearing sun-glasses...
and dozens and dozens more! My favorite special shape balloon has always been the clunky cow from a local dairy! There are always new special shapes at the Balloon Fiesta every year! "Everyone has a photographic memory, but not everyone has film.
" Lewis Hines YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET! During one of the ten days of the Fiesta, there is an event held on the Park grounds which is called a Balloon Rodeo...
or Balloon Glow...
or as some people call it...
a Glowdeo! Two hundred balloons are chosen for this event...
and, it's held a NIGHT! The FAA does not allow hot-air balloons to fly at night, but there's no law against having a Balloon Glow...
and that's what this is! Two hundred balloons are tethered to the ground, so they stay in place AT NIGHT as the balloon envelopes are filled with hot air! The s-s-w-i-i-i-i-i-i-s-s-s-s-s-s-h-h-h-h- sound of the balloon burners being turned on and off by the balloon pilot, to get the balloon to stay in an upright position! The visitor sees a sea of orange, as the balloons are lit up in the dark night! Candlelight dinner, anyone? This event reminds me of Halloween, with the glow of the balloons in gold and orange and the darkness of the night! SPECTACULAR! When I saw this event for the first time...
I was speechless! During the ten day run, activities go on all week long at the Fiesta Park.
There are all kinds of foods available from different countries; arts and crafts; the Balloon Museum and games and competitions for the balloon teams.
One competition is as follows; there are five...
30 foot poles at the Fiesta Part...
and on top of each of the poles, are prizes the balloonists can grab while in flight.
This takes skill by the pilot, and he or she has to have the ability to maneuver the balloon close enough to the pole to claim the prize! The prizes include: keys to a brand new car; keys to a brand new truck; keys to a brand new motorcycle and other prizes such as televisions and computers.
etc.
It's exciting to watch how the winning balloons can get close enough to the poles to grab the prizes! "A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.
" Eudora Welty Over the 35 years of the Fiesta has been incredibly safe, but like any large event there will be tragedy.
There are restrictions as to where the balloonists can fly.
They are restricted from flying near the military base; the airport; certain Indian reservations and they cannot fly near the mountains.
To give you an idea of how dangerous the mountains can be, was the catastrophy that happened years ago at the Fiesta.
The Sandia mountains, located at the eastern city limits of Albuquerque...
rise to a height of 10,600 feet above sea level.
(The word "Sandia" is Spanish for watermelon) The mountains are unusual as they rise gradually from the eastern side of the state, and when they reach the 10,600 foot height...
they fall straight down...
like a cliff...
right down at the eastern city limits.
The Sandias support the longest tramway system in North America, and no vehicles can reach the Crest from the west side of the mountains.
A person can get to the Crest only by trail or by tramway! Because of the dangerous winds, which swirl and twist along the mountains, which are so unpredictable, balloonists are not allowed to fly near the mountains.
Several years ago, a team of balloonists tried to go over the Crest and they failed! The dangerous winds blew the balloon side-ways...
the balloon caught fire, and the balloonists plunged to their deaths! If there are 800 balloons in the sky...
there are 800 chase-crews on the ground, chasing the balloon wherever it goes! The balloon might land in the river; downtown; at a truck-stop; at your doctor's office; near the ice cream truck...
you never know where one of these balloons will land! You can imagine all the chaos around the city, as the chase-crews are trying to keep up with their balloon! "Life is like a big canvass, and you should throw all the paint you can on it!" Danny Kaye The end of the Fiesta brings what is called, The AfterGlow Fireworks Show, and that consists of fireworks exploding in the star-lit sky! The most photographed event in the world comes to an end for another year! And, did you know that balloonists have their own prayer? It goes like this.
"May the winds welcome you with softness.
May the sun bless you with its warm hands.
May you fly so high and so well that God joins you in laughter and sets you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.
" Isn't that neat? For 35 years now, I witnessed this event and never get tired of it! And, because of this, I have never seen so many "basket cases" in my entire life!
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