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"New Year's Eve revelers might notice less of one party decoration: helium balloons.A nationwide gas shortage caused prices to skyrocket and local businesses to inflate prices to meet their bottom line.The owner of the Blooms &amp; Balloons store on Sixth Steet near Mountain Road in Northwest Albuquerque said he's had to raise prices.\"The last six months have been hard getting helium and the prices have tripled, quadrupled. There was a two-month waiting list before I could find any helium in town,\" said owner Frank Garcia.Helium is a by-product of natural gas extraction and supply companies can't meet high demand. When helium is available, medical suppliers are a priority.Garcia was forced to charge his customer $1.50 per balloon, which made his business for balloons deflate.\"Ten years ago, we used to have 10-15 bars (asking for balloons) so we'd be blowing balloons all night long,\" Garcia said.Today, he only has two nightclubs asking for balloons.Experts say if you want your helium balloons to stay afloat longer, ask your balloon supplier to add a balloon preservative.The price of helium also affected this year's Balloon Fiesta. The America's Challenge Race exclusively used hydrogen balloons after pilots said helium was too expensive."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.koat.com/article/high-helium-prices-affect-new-year-s-eve-balloons/5044973>