LAS CRUCES, NM — New Mexico State University will take to the skies in a hot air balloon during Balloon Fiesta this fall.
NMSU partnered with Rainbow Ryders to bring an idea from founder Scott Appelman to life. The balloon is a timely tribute to Appelman, who passed away earlier this month.
“It was great working with Scott on this project and our thoughts are with his family and the Rainbow Ryders team. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Scott’s team and will be thinking of him when we unveil our balloon to the Aggie community next month,” said Justin Bannister, NMSU assistant vice president of marketing and communications.
The purple, white and teal balloon will be on public display for the first time on September 26. The balloon will be lit up in the parking lot east of Aggie Memorial Stadium during an evening pep rally. The balloon will also be on display all day on September 28 before the Aggies’ football game against UNM. You can see it between the stadium and the Pan American Center.
“We are very excited to introduce this balloon to our community,” Bannister said. “There is an incredible amount of Aggie pride, not only in Las Cruces, but throughout our region. Incorporating this balloon into our game day festivities and other events across the Southwest will bring energy and enthusiasm to current and future Aggies far beyond our campus.”
Damian Kirson, managing director and pilot at Rainbow Ryders, said production took around four months. The balloon has a volume of 90,000 cubic feet, is 85 feet tall and 58 feet wide when fully inflated.
“The sewing process depends heavily on the amount of fabric and the manufacturer’s inventory. It usually takes about three to six months to fully produce a balloon,” Kirson said.
You can vote for the name now through September 3rd at this link. The chosen name will be announced on all NMSU social media platforms on September 4th.
