Balloon Museum

A Year-Round Presence: The Balloon Museum

eople often wonder about the big building to

Pthe south of the Balloon Fiesta launch fi eld. Those who know what it is often think it is run by the Balloon Fiesta.

That big building has a big name: the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque

International Balloon Museum. It is part of the

City of Albuquerque’s museum system (not run by the Balloon Fiesta), but it is located in

Balloon Fiesta Park and, of course, has a close connection with both the Balloon Fiesta and the ballooning community in Albuquerque.

The Museum is named after Ben Abruzzo and Maxie Anderson, two of the three men (the third was Larry Newman) who were fi rst to cross the Atlantic Ocean by balloon. Both later went on to achieve other epic “fi rsts” in ballooning – you can read more about it on page 188. Both tragically died in separate aviation accidents: Maxie while fl ying in the

Gordon Bennett balloon race in Europe, and Ben in a small plane accident in Albuquerque.

In 1984, the year after Maxie’s death, the Anderson family began looking into the possibility of creating a museum to honor his memory and to preserve and promote the culture, art, science, and history of the world’s oldest form of aviation. After Ben passed away in 1985, the Anderson and Abruzzo families joined forces. It took two decades to realize the dream, with a lot of support from city and state public offi cials as well as the local ballooning community. But fi nally, in 2005, the new Balloon Museum opened its doors to the public.

The Museum contains exhibits about the history of ballooning and the epic fl ights of Abruzzo, Anderson, and others (including some of the gondolas and fl ight gear actually used during their record-breaking exploits). It also has a strong educational emphasis, off ering interactive exhibits for children and families and a Weather Lab. In the Museum’s off site archives, its curators collect and conserve a large collection of balloon systems and artifacts. This year, special exhibits honor Balloon Fiesta founder Sid Cutter and recount the 50-year history of the Balloon Fiesta. The Museum off ers expanded hours and hospitality packages during Balloon Fiesta, but it’s open all year and gives ballooning a yearround presence to be enjoyed by both visitors to Albuquerque and residents. It also off ers special events throughout the year and gratefully accepts donations through memberships and other fundraising opportunities. The City of Albuquerque’s Balloon Museum website and the Balloon Museum Foundation website both off er much more detailed information about the Museum, its programs, and additional material related to exhibits.

PHOTO BY VICTOR BANTA