X marks the spot for balloonists during upcoming fiesta

As balloon season takes off for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, folks around Rio Rancho and Corrales may be wondering where those hot air balloons will land.

During the week of Balloon Fiesta, land owners in the area will put a large, white "X" on their properties to let balloonists know where they can land. The balloon fiesta's Landowner Relations was handing out X's Sept. 19 at the Corrales Village Hall.

"By putting out a white X, that lets the pilots know when they're flying over that it's OK to land there. The landowner has already agreed to say, 'I'll put out a white X or a white sheet and we'd like to have balloons land on our property,'" Landowner Relations representative Larry Merry said.

Balloonists can run into all kinds of problems when finding a place to land. Merry says if they're getting low on fuel or the weather's starting to turn and they're looking for a place to land, a white X is a welcome sight.

"All of a sudden, a friendly place, I can see a nice big field that I can land in and I'm not going to make anybody mad. There's no horses or ostriches and emus and stuff like that to scare," he said.

"X" marks the spot has been going on for about five years now. Merry says they started with white sheets but have since changed to the "X."

"Usually an X means no, but in this case it means it's OK. We were able to get this white material, and it works great. It holds up well in the weather, and you can roll them up and save them for next year. You could probably use them for five, six years," he said.

Local landowners who allow balloonists to land on their property also have a chance to win gifts and gift certificates from local businesses.

According to a Balloon Fiesta announcement, pilots will carry cards with them and, upon landing their balloon, will gather information from the participating landowner or, if the landowner isn’t available, the pilot will gather information about the property. Once flights conclude each day, pilots will turn in their cards, and Balloon Fiesta officials will draw a winner.

One winner will be recognized as “landowner of the day” at the end of each day’s flying events, who will then receive a prize. There will also be a grand prize winner drawn at the end of Balloon Fiesta. This winner will be chosen from all cards collected over the nine days with the prize being a staycation in Taos.

Karen Brown, also with Landowner Relations, says people can get their "X" from the Hispano Chamber of Commerce and the Balloon Fiesta office.

For more information, visit balloonfiesta.com.