The 2010s

2013 Balloons and music somehow go together. The late NBC news correspondent Jack Perkins, after visiting the 1977 Balloon Fiesta, noted that it’s impossible to watch balloons without hearing music. What kind of music depends on what you like – but you’ll hear music! Musical acts, from Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits to Three Dog Night to local high school and middle school bands, have always been part of Balloon Fiesta. But in 2013, country music fans rejoiced at the addition of Music Fiesta to the Balloon Fiesta’s attractions. The concert, held the fi nal Saturday afternoon of the event, features headliners on the way up the charts. The fi rst Music Fiesta Headliner in 2013 was pop and country music superstar Darius Rucker. To learn more about this year’s Music Fiesta, visit page 22. In addition to the big Music Fiesta concert, throughout the week the Balloon Fiesta’s Main Street Stage features a wide variety of local musical acts, variety performances, and visiting bands, including outstanding armed forces bands and performing groups. 2014

The Balloon Fiesta has always been a volunteer-driven organization. The majority of the people you meet at Balloon Fiesta Park – from Zebras to greeters to chase crews to the people who run the RV lots, and drive the shuttles – are Navigators, the Balloon Fiesta term for volunteers. Some, including almost all the fl ight operations staff and offi cials, are in highly technical positions. The members of the Board of Directors are also all Navigators. There are fewer than two dozen paid permanent staff . But the Balloon Fiesta never would get off the ground without Navigators. 2014 saw the retirement of one of the Balloon Fiesta’s great Navigators, Tom Rutherford. Tom’s story is told in more detail elsewhere in this publication, but he was working in radio at the time he became part of the Balloon Fiesta. He became a pilot and Sid Cutter’s business partner, and later served in the New Mexico State Legislature and on the Bernalillo County Commission. For more than a quarter-century, Tom was the Balloon Fiesta’s golden voice, commentating for KOAT and serving as event announcer, notably with Glen Moyer. If you’d like to become a Navigator, it’s easy to sign up! All the information you need is on the Balloon Fiesta website at balloonfi esta.com/Volunteers-New.

Above: The new dynamic duo, Art Lloyd, Jr. and Glen Moyer, on the now not-so-secret announce tower.

and flew his balloon during the week, while Rutherford was the PA announcer during the week, and on TV for the weekends. In 1995, this tag team became more of a duet, with both men on the tower for all sessions.

The purpose of the announcers was to point out the launch of sponsored balloons. However, at the old Balloon Fiesta Park south of the current site the team, along with their spotter, Glenda Watson, was on scaffolding behind the Main Street Stage, which was located at mid-field. Since the sponsor balloons typically took off from the south end of the field and flew south, away from the announcers, this was a less-than-ideal setup. With the move to the current field, it quickly become obvious that the ideal spot for the announcers would be on the south end of the field, and there just happened to be a nice roof on top of the building there.

Just one small problem. The building is directly in the path of ascending balloons, and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration, in charge of air safety) was concerned that balloons might not gain enough altitude fast enough to avoid hitting the building and injuring the people on the roof. It took some negotiations, but the FAA finally allowed the announcers and only the announcers on the roof. No one else was allowed, and people who managed to get up there were promptly chased away. This noaccess led to Moyers and Rutherford referring to their location as the Top Secret announce tower.

This arrangement continued for a number of years until, on the 25th anniversary of their being together, Rutherford stepped down from his partnership with Moyer. Three people with media backgrounds were asked to “fill-in” for the 2014 Balloon Fiesta. Larry Ahrens, who had a long history with Balloon Fiesta through his position with KOB Radio did a few sessions. Kim Vesely, long-time pilot and America’s Challenge media liaison, did a few sessions. And Art Lloyd Jr, also a pilot and long-time Balloon Fiesta volunteer, did the majority of the sessions.

Lloyd recalls it being a proposed as a “fill-in” slot. In reality, it turned out to be more of an audition to replace Rutherford. Officials said it was a tough decision, but in the end, Art Lloyd Jr., was chosen to replace Rutherford on the tower.

But that was only the start of bigger changes to come. In 2016, as part of an effort to better coordinate the PA announcing with the officials' launching the balloon of the day at mid-field and the performing of the national anthem on the Main Street Stage, Balloon Fiesta added cameras and a live video stream to the mix. Due to his television experience, Lloyd was tapped to produce the video production. It was bare bones: three cameras with Moyer and Lloyd announcing from the rooftop. Ahrens provided relief to allow Moyer and Lloyd to take a couple of sessions off, and Vesely provided information on

PHOTO: VICTOR BANTA

Above: The “competition cam”: Lloyd explains the Sid Cutter Memorial Task, where the target is a boat.

America’s Challenge. Due to the uncertainty of how it would work, the live stream was not announced until the Friday before the 2016 event. And while the production had some technical issues, the online audience logged in by the tens of thousands.

With all the knowledge and experience gained in that first “pilot” year, Lloyd and Balloon Fiesta made plans for a truly professional experience moving forward. Windfire Productions was hired to provide the technical expertise for the stream. Graphics and a show open and close were produced. A dedicated line to the internet was added to ensure the live stream would be reliable.

Additional cameras and a master control room in a trailer were brought on site to handle the show and stream. Once again, the shows drew thousands. In fact, it was calculated that as many people tuned in to watch as showed up on the field that year.

The next year, an additional camera was added to allow for video from the basket of a balloon. Ruth Lind, a hot air and gas balloonist and former editor of the national publication Ballooning, and Kim Vesely joined the team as reporters. Both usually work the America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Event, but with no event in 2018, they needed something to do. They proved to be a huge asset to the on-air team.

In 2019, Balloon Fiesta Live! expanded its reach by adding a low power TV station. In addition to streaming live on Balloon Fiesta’s website, YouTube and Facebook, people with an over-the-air antenna within about 4 miles of the Balloon Fiesta Park could now watch on their television. This allowed RVers and hospitality tents to install TVs to watch Balloon Fiesta Live!, instead of just listening to the PA speakers. Coverage of competition got a boost by putting Lloyd and a camera crew in the middle of the competition field, so viewers got a close up look and listen to balloons coming into the target.

In 2020 COVID challenged everyone. After months of back and forth, the decision to postpone the actual event was made in the interest of safety. Everyone was devastated and couldn’t imagine surviving an October without a Balloon Fiesta. The solution? Offer a virtual Balloon Fiesta, via Balloon Fiesta Live! Windfire Productions had just taken over control of Albuquerque’s community access cable channels, which set the stage, literally. Balloon Fiesta Live! set up shop in a newly renovated studio to produce 14 live streams, timed to what would have been the actual event sessions.

It was quite an undertaking. Lloyd produced and anchored from the set in Albuquerque. Moyer and his cat, Ranger, joined via Zoom from his home in Louisiana. The team showed edited video highlights from past

Balloon Fiestas. Just like during a live event, guests joined in, either in person or via Zoom. The team also tapped into the opportunity created by the “Lifting Spirits Around the World,” movement, where balloonists flew in their hometowns during Balloon Fiesta week to thank first responders. Pictures and tapes and even live video were brought into the show of balloon flights and events around the world.

At one point, Moyer and Lloyd counted down an

PHOTO: BOBBIE TULEY

Above: Balloon Fiesta Live! pandemic edition: Lloyd in Albuquerque, and Moyer in Louisiana