Depending upon how the weather holds out today, this year’s Great Mississippi River Balloon Race may be one for the record books.

The annual fundraiser for the Historic Natchez Foundation often lives and dies at the whims of the weather.

So far this year — the very mention of this will probably jinx today’s weather — the balloonists have managed to fly in all three of the scheduled flights on Friday and Saturday and inflate for the Friday night glow.

That’s great news for both balloonists and for Natchez.

The sight of soaring balloons overhead almost always builds excitement in the minds of those who spot the colorful crafts.

Even if the weather turns south today, we can still call the balloon race a success — flight-wise, at least.

In some years weather has prevented many, many flights from taking off, which is always a letdown for the crowds on hand.

And, at least anecdotally, those crowds have grown exponentially over the years.

Many moons ago, back in the mid-1990s when I photographed a good bit for the newspaper, I can remember arriving at the early morning target locations only to find a relative handful of people on hand to watch balloons try to score competitive points in the race.

On Saturday morning, what certainly was hundreds of people were on hand at the rear of the Natchez Mall awaiting sight of color on the horizon.

Those people run the gamut from locals who know the basics of how the race works to tourists who don’t have a clue, but simply want to see a balloon float past.

As always seems to happen in Natchez, the tourists and the locals mix well, and in no time, locals are chatting up the out-of-towners and making sure the visitors have a pleasant experience.

Having good weather, of course, certainly helps.

It helps because in a world in which we expect things to be independent of weather, hot-air balloons are delicate creations.

Made of fabric and fire with a bit of metal and some wicker thrown in for good measure, even modern, high-tech balloons are still a primitive form of flight.

The physics of the whole thing still intrigues me — an enormous envelope of fabric can, with a little thermodynamics added, lift several people high into the sky and bring them safely back to earth again.

As if that feat isn’t magical enough, some of the hot-air balloon pilots manage to navigate these contraptions into a few feet of a target after flying from a mile away.

It’s truly incredible.

And it’s great fun for all who enjoy seeing something uniquely Natchez.

Hot-air ballooning isn’t unique to Natchez, but how Natchez does hot-air ballooning certainly is.

Rather than having the race at a remote location free of obstructions and uneven terrain, Natchez holds its race right in the heart of town.

This year, race organizers brought back a crowd favorite that is also uniquely Natchez — the barge drop.

Balloonists soar over the bluffs and rapidly descend as they take aim on a target floating atop a barge in the middle of the river.

It’s uniquely Natchez and among the more fun events for balloon race spectators.

While Saturday’s barge drop proved to be a strike out for balloonists — none of them hit the target — it made for an interesting stage for balloonists.

Here is hoping today’s weather continues to bless the race with good fortune.
Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.