Bank of NH Prestige Plus customers visit Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

LACONIA — Bank of New Hampshire’s Prestige Plus members recently returned from a six-day trip to New Mexico for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

Seeing the balloons float up in the early morning was a trip highlight. The Rio Grande Valley was the backdrop for the colorful display in the sky. Several Prestige Plus members went up in balloons during the event. Denis Hebert of Laconia was one who went up. He said, “It has been on my bucket list for a long time. To be in the midst of hundreds of balloons in the air was spectacular. It was a great experience.”

Another special moment was the Balloon Fiesta by moonlight. Balloons were tethered to the ground and lit from within after dusk, in a display called the Balloon Glow. George and Nancy Jewell from Meredith said, “it was a spectacular sight to see hundreds of balloons lit up at the same time against the night sky.”

The group took time away from sight-seeing to volunteer at Santa Fe’s Food Depot. Bank of New Hampshire’s President & CEO Paul Falvey explained, “Bank of New Hampshire has a deep commitment to the communities it serves and we wanted to extend that service and commitment to the communities we travel to by volunteering with our Prestige Plus travelers.” The Food Depot distributes 430,000 meals monthly with help from donations and volunteers. Sarah Carter, a Maine native and volunteer program manager at The Food Depot said, “It was such a pleasure working with the Bank of New Hampshire team. We are especially grateful you traveled so far and chose to spend an afternoon helping feed Northern New Mexicans in need.” 

Other highlights of the trip were visiting the Nuclear Science & History Museum which included the details of the Manhattan Project, a ride along Route 66 with a stop at the Route 66 Diner, views along the historic Turquoise Trail and staying in the historic town of Santa Fs. The group also enjoyed authentic Southwestern food including Native American, Mexican and Spanish cuisines.

Bank of New Hampshire manages a professional travel club as a benefit for Prestige Plus customers. To learn more about Bank of New Hampshire’s Prestige Plus program, contact Cindy Salta, assistant vice president, Prestige Plus officer at 603-527-3901 or salta@banknh.com.

For more information about Bank of New Hampshire, call 800-832-0912, or visit www.BankNH.com.