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LAS CRUCES - After two years of bad economic winds, the Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally made it back off the ground Saturday, sending eight-story-tall drops of color drifting from the still-asleep suburbs north of town to the downtown farmers market and south to the tidied pecan groves and stubble-filled cotton fields outside of Mesilla.
"Las Cruces really likes - loves this event," said Mayor Ken Miyagishima, who finally promised the crowd, despite being risk-averse (he is in insurance, after all) that he would take his first balloon ride in 2012. "This is what it's about, getting the community together to watch all these great balloons up in the sky. If I'm
The event continues today at Brown Farm Field.
There are about a dozen active balloonists in the Las Cruces area, but pilots came from as far away as Kansas, Wisconsin and the East Coast, eager to build the rally back to pre-recession numbers. About 40 pilots are registered to fly in this weekend's rally, double the numbers of unofficial fly-ins the past two years but still half of the pre-recession crowd.
"We were very disappointed, two years ago, when we couldn't put it on," said balloonmeister and rally co-chairman John Kemp. "I'm just so pleased the time has come to put on the rally and just so glad to have it again."
Kemp said hundreds were expected to share in the thrill at this weekend's event.
"I would say that after 35 years ballooning, I still get just as excited about lifting off as when I was training," he said. "It's wonderful to be in an open basket, lifting off the surface of the earth, going up a couple hundred or a couple thousand feet. It's amazing how much you hear - dogs barking, people talking. It's just wonderful. We've had many people who say they're scared of heights, get into a balloon and just say, 'This is a wonderful feeling.'"
Safety officer Vernon Wilson, dressed in an orange fleece "safety tuxedo" made by Cati Waterman, said there was a lot of camaraderie for such a seemingly solitary activity.
"It's a family experience," he said. "Everyone I know who's been up there once got inspired and had to go back again. They just love it. I really am glad (the rally) has come back ... It really puts Las Cruces on the map."
Jeanne Gartner, a former El Pasoan who relocated to Chapel Hill, N.C., in September, was also delighted to return to the rally for what she described as "a mini reunion."
"It's just a very magical, sometimes surreal experience," said Gartner, a pediatric oncology nurse who said the sport is "definitely my stress-reliever."
As pilot of Cool Beans, Gartner - aided by her 20-person crew - had the honor of hoisting the American flag Saturday at dawn.
"Ballooning's just a great sport," Gartner said. "You can bring so much joy to other people's lives, when you see the kids smiling, or you take a first-timer up and they can cross that experience off their 'bucket list.'"
And it's "highly" addictive, she said: "I can't just give this up."
The two-day event begins again this morning with launches starting at 7:15 at Brown Field. The forecast calls for temperatures to be in the mid-20s, so dress warmly.
Ashley Meeks can be reached at (575) 541-5462.
If you go
•What: Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally
•When: Today, with welcoming remarks and breakfast at 6:30 a.m. and mass ascension at 7:15 a.m.
•Where: Brown Farm Field. take Main Street north to El Camino Real; Brown Farm Field is a mile north on the right side of the road.
•Cost: Free admission, $7 for entrance into the heated VIP tent, full of coffee, cocoa and breakfast foods
•Information: (575) 522-1232, mvbr.com
