by K. L. Thompson
When asked how she got into the
sport of ballooning, Neida replied, "because it's magic, you're sitting
up there and it looked like fun." So she and her husband at the time
bought into a balloon with ten other couples in late 1972, never having
crewed, never having flown, never knowing it was a lot of work. And now,
twenty-six years later, she says it's still magic. Still fun.
Lucky for us she thinks that way because she is the driving force behind the Balloon Explorium at the Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. In case you haven't been, the Explorium has hands-on exhibits, computer-simulated balloon flights and weather information, all on display during Fiesta for the thousands of people attending the Big One, explaining the sport of ballooning. It started out targeted at the kids but proved so popular with adults that they are being included in future plans.
The idea came to Neida on one of her notorious sleepless nights After many years on the Fiesta Board of Directors, as a Fiesta Balloonmeisteren, a safety officer, a pilot, and a stint at running the balloon mail, it occurred to her that the magic she experienced was especially strong for the children. Whenever she landed near a school or went to do a demonstration, the excitement was written all over the children's faces. So she posed the question to herself, "how can we do something with the children that helps them understand what flying is all about?" An event at the 1990 Fiesta provided the framework for her brainstorm. An attempt had been made to bring the kids out and give them a firsthand look at ballooning but the idea wasn't pursued at subsequent Fiestas.
But it did give Neida a jumping off point for her idea for the Explorium and she lobbied before the Fiesta Board until they acquiesced in 1993. Thus, the first Explorium was born in a 20 x 40 tent divided equally between lecture space and a hands on display. Now, in its sixth year, Neida is still plotting and planning to make it an even better experience for children and adults alike, while accommodating even greater numbers. She tells herself, I'm not going to do it anymore because it's a tremendous amount of work. But she says she finds herself wondering how to handle this and that, or how much this will cost and she knows she's in it for another year. It's not all work though. The rewards are in the children's eyes when they become saucer-sized with the excitement and wonder of it all.
One of the things that just blew Neida away was the adults' fascination with the baskets and burners. The baskets had false floors so the kids could reach the burners but it forced the adults to get on their knees to experience the exhibit. And they did so, willingly. There was no question they were having as much fun as the kids.
Pulling the Explorium together is work. Each year it has to be set up anew. Neida has borrowed equipment from both the Santa Fe and Albuquerque Children's Museums. The balloon baskets are either donated to the Explorium or the Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association. Neida used her old Semco basket this past year. Her brother, Earl, works for Tri-Gas and did all the fittings so the burners would work. The envelope in the `97 Explorium for the kids to walk through was a dead envelope that had been donated to Quad A. A GPS unit was purchased and hooked up to a laptop to provide GPS demos. "It's a real combination of stuff, kind of whatever it takes," Neida said. This past year the Explorium had three co-sponsors, KASA TV, Norwest Banks, and Creamland Dairies. Neida said that was nice because they hadn't been sponsored for the last couple of years and it gave them a little more to work with.
Neida brings a lot of experience and enthusiasm to the sport of ballooning. Her twenty-three years as a pilot have taken her many places and brought many friends. Her best experience as a pilot was her trip to Europe, all expenses paid, in 1983. She was invited to fly in Holland's celebration of the 200th anniversary of manned hot-air ballooning. They wanted a woman pilot in the group of 100 pilots flying the event and their original choice from Belgium declined, opening the door for Neida. They sent her a ticket, furnished her with a balloon and a Dutch crew that spoke little English, but they had great fun. She came away with lifelong friends and has been back many times since.
Her experience as Balloonmeister for Fiesta in 1983 and 1984 was equally memorable because it exposed her to so much and she said she learned a lot. At the time there were only about 380 balloons and she thought that was just unbelievable. Now look at where it is... 850.
Neida thinks of balloonists as ambassadors of good will for the sport. The biggest part, from her viewpoint, is sharing. Bringing new people into the sport and sharing the fun, the excitement, the camaraderie, and yes, the magic. It's no wonder the Explorium has been so successful. With the enthusiasm Neida puts behind it, the magic comes alive for thousands of people each year.
And this past year, her peers recognized her with the Sid Cutter Award, an award she was proud to receive, especially since she was doing what she loves, sharing the sport of ballooning.
