The Balloons are coming! Our annual Balloon Fiesta begins on the first Saturday in October. A few years ago, after there were 900+ balloon entries, the Balloon Fiesta Committee began limiting the entries to 750 balloons (THAT’S RIGHT — 750 HOT AIR BALLOONS!) That’s a passle of balloons and they are so gorgeous. Besides the mass ascensions at sunrise, there are late afternoon and evening events. All those colors against that blue fall sky — with only an occasional swoosh as the pilots add heat to the balloons to maneuver them. We are involved, and we are in love, with this event.
There are booths selling everything balloon, lots of great food — start out before dawn with a breakfast burrito and hot chocolate. There is always a handmade balloon design quilt raffled, and an original poster (fierce competition to paint the Fiesta poster). It is a fiesta in the truest sense of the word and the hundreds of thousands of excited spectators stand in the cold with frosty breath waiting for the ballon crews to lay out the envelopes and begin inflating them. Spectators wander among the balloons talking with the crews and with one another. What a super ten days! Come visit! At the risk of losing all computer speed (my ISP is the Broadband provider for the Fiesta), I’ll suggest you log in to www.balloonfiesta.com. During the Fiesta, there is a live feed.
The Balloon Glow
