I live in a little neighborhood right on the north edge of Albuquerque, near the Balloon Fiesta Grounds. The Balloon Fiesta is an annual gathering of balloonists and enthusiasts that brings many hundreds of balloons to the skies over the city for the 9 days of the festival. It's pretty magical to wake up to the whooshing sound of the burners right overhead, and walk outside and be surrounded by huge colorful balloons of different shapes and sizes drifting above the rooftops of the neighborhood, and often landing in the street (or in someone's yard if the pilot is having some bad luck).
My young son is naturally enthralled by the whole thing, and I'm afraid he will be expecting to wake up to a sky filled with hot air balloons everyday after the Fiesta is over. The pilots all see quite friendly, as do the crews who follow their balloons around the city and pack it all up in a van or trailer. They seem to happy to talk to interested onlookers and usually appreciate any help loading their gear. Kids and die-hard balloon fans love the tradition of pilots giving out trading cards of their balloons, and some have other swag that they give out as well, like shirts or toys. My neighbors have lived in the neighborhood since 1980, and have amassed an enormous collection of balloon cards! The kids would all trade them at school, and it was a big deal. The city and the Fiesta runners encourage anybody who has space on their land to put out a white sheet or make a big x to let pilots know it is cool for them to land, and many homeowners bring out food and drinks for the balloonists and their crews.
Someone put up their Balloon Cards up for sale on Ebay.
Haven't seen this monster yet, but the pilots say he's here.
Of course, I'm sure that not all pilots and crews have always been as friendly with the ones i have interacted with in the last few days. Certainly there are many Albuquerque residents who are less than thrilled to have a balloon come down in their yard or in their house, and even more who complain about all the extra traffic (the Fiesta draws in a huge number of visitors, and I've heard it is the most photographed event in the world). I have not heard about any injuries to folks on the ground, but since its inception in the 70's, the Balloon Fiesta has seen a few tragedies. A handful of balloonists have perished over the years, usually a result of hitting power lines. Most of the powerlines on this side of town are buried, but there are exceptions of course.
