Weekend festival is ideal entrée to rural town’s art, culture scene For hundreds of thousands of people around the world, Albuquerque’s annual kaleidoscope of hot air balloons in October lures them to New Mexico. With good reason. The International Balloon Fiesta remains the largest and most impressive anywhere. Some years, around 800 balloons decorate the city’s fall sky like Christmas ornaments confused about the season. But for those not in town then or for anyone who considers crowds and traffic jams a deal-breaker no matter how legendary the event they surround, the more intimate town of Artesia provides an alternative. The town’s Balloons & Tunes Festival occurs the next month, always the first weekend in November. Last year, 30 balloons floated above Artesia’s farm and ranchlands, a sight to behold by a manageable number of onlookers seeking a mix of adventure and relaxation.
classic novels as well as favorite books of several local students. It symbolizes the foundation the community has in learning, education, literature and our youth. Inside the library, visitors will find a 30-foot windowed wall displaying a 1952 Peter Hurd mural. Despite Artesia’s cowboy past and rural economy, the town has a noticeable artistic edge. Along your walk, make sure to shop the unique local merchants along Main Street, and grab a bite at a café. Saturday night offers a Fire Concert for those who enjoy live music. And then rise and shine again Sunday for the balloons once more.
SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO
Artesia’s Fall Balloon Event Offers Color, Calm, Community
Whether you go for the color, for a ride, to learn how to fly or even just to hear their slow whoosh, whoosh as they glide above you, Artesia’s festival not only has it all on a smaller and some would say, more personal, scale, but also, it’s free! Balloons lift off at dawn Nov. 2 and 3 at Eagle Draw Park, weather permitting. So, wake early, dress warmly and take a hot chocolate or coffee as hand and tummy warmers. And then don’t leave. Artesia is known for its Historic Walking Tour downtown, which showcases the town’s culture and history, in part through a series of nine bronze statues: The Vaquero (cowboy), The Trail Boss, The Rustler, The First Lady of Artesia, The Derrick Floor (dedicated to the men and women who take the risks and do the work to find, produce and refine state oil and gas), The Partners, Pioneering Endurance, Women’s Intuition and The Foundation. This last, larger-than-life bronze, located in front of the public library, includes a variety of www.travelnewmex.com | SUMMER • WINTER 2019
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