Bike and Balloon Rally coming to town

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff writer

GALLUP — We’ll no longer have to wait until December to see hot air balloons soaring over the scenic red rocks east of Gallup.

Actually, we’ll just have to wait until next weekend.

Twenty hot air balloonists and upward of 200 motorcyclists are expected to participate in the first Route 66 Bike and Balloon Rally on June 6-7. The event will feature hot air balloon mass ascensions at sunrise each morning, a Saturday night balloon glow, a car show and shine by the Over the Hill Gang Car Club, the Andy Carabajal Memorial Bike Ride, a bike rodeo, tattoo contest, live music, entertainment, and about 20 vendors.

The hot air balloon launches will take place at Red Rock Park, with the remaining rally events at the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center.

Organizer Bill Lee, executive director of the Gallup-McKinley Chamber of Commerce, said the goal of the rally is to bring more people to Gallup and stage another fun event for locals and visitors. “We encourage everyone locally to come out,” Lee said. “It’ll be a fun time.”

The original idea behind the rally, he explained, was proposed several years ago when the Squash Blossom Festival was held in the spring and organizers were interested in sponsoring a springtime hot air balloon rally.

The Squash Blossom Festival was later moved to another time, Lee said, but the idea for a hot air balloon rally in the spring remained.

Lee said he doesn’t expect the Route 66 Bike and Balloon Rally to grow as large as the December Red Rock Balloon Rally, but he said there is already a lot of interest in the event. It is listed on many biker Web sites, he explained, so he said he will not be surprised if more than 200 motorcyclists attend. In addition, he’s expecting more hot air balloonists to participate in the future.

“Next year we plan to have 66 balloons,” Lee said.

Organizers are working with the Department of Transportation to possibly stage a balloon glow with 66 hot air balloons on old Route 66, he said.

The Independent will publish the schedule for next weekend’s Route 66 Bike and Balloon Rally later in the week. The schedule is also posted on the event’s Web site.

Information: www.route66bikeandballoonrally.com