Balloons flying despite rally's cancellation
Posted at: 01/20/2013 3:17 PM
By: The Associated Press
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - Hot air balloons are flying in the Mesilla Valley this weekend despite the cancellation of a rally of balloonists.
The 2013 Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally had been a fixture of the area since 1982 but has struggled in recent years.
The group couldn't recruit enough sponsors to run the event.
Instead, the event became a "non-rally fly-in" this year.
Several pilots and crew from throughout the Southwest, Michigan and Kansas decided it was worth the effort to travel and pay their own way.
The rally was founded in 1982 as part of The Whole Enchilada Fiesta and officially became the Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally in 1988.
The president of the Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally's board says group will meet soon to determine whether the official rally will return in 2014.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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