What’s the best seat in the house for balloon race? Try the barge in the middle of the Mississippi during the barge drop.

In a competition unique to the Great Mississippi River Balloon Festival, pilots cross the river and toss a beanbag onto a target &045;&045; a giant X &045;&045; laid out across a barge.

It’s a difficult task, one not all pilots attempt, so it doesn’t count toward the overall points in the balloon competition.

On Saturday afternoon, balloons lifted off from Natchez south of the bridge, catching the westerly wind at lower altitudes to steer themselves toward the target.

A small crowd of boats gathered around the barge looking for a good view.

&uot;Wooo!&uot; the passengers cried as the first balloon pilot to near the target, George Richard, tossed his beanbag.

But that cry of excitement swiftly turned into an &uot;awww&uot; as the beanbag, streaming a purple crepe tail, hit the water just short of the barge.

It was the pattern for the afternoon. Some balloons flew too high or too far away even to take a shot, but a few came close.

Bert Carollo actually came too close for comfort to the river. Flying low after he came over the bluff, he ended up touching down in the water before coming back up and flying close enough to the barge to hit the target.

Race officials will have to make a determination whether the touchdown was accidental. Often balloons over the river can be caught in a rotor, a swift wind that drives them downward.

Touching down in the river can mean disqualification from the event.

Pilots Jeff Lavender &045;&045; competing for the first time in Natchez &045;&045; just missed the barge, as did Richard Sabin.

The only other pilot to reach the target was Brian Rohr, the winner of last year’s balloon race.

Skimming slowly through the air just feet above the river, he sidled up to the barge and easily tossed the beanbag to make the target.

Vidalia Dock and Storage loans its barge, tugboat and pilot to the balloon race every year for use in the event.

In the overall competition, Gary Jones of Mississippi leads with 1,982 points after Saturday morning’s flight, with Kinnie Gibson and Ron Frusher, both of Texas, in second and third places, respectively.

This morning, balloons are scheduled to lift off at 7 a.m. for the final competition, with another flight at 4:30 p.m.

The festival site on the grounds of Rosalie opens at noon, with music throughout the day and another special appearance by John Ninomiya’s cluster balloon.

Ninomiya took off from the bluff Saturday afternoon during the barge drop. Although he didn’t take part in the competition, he thrilled the crowd with his unique flight &045;&045; strapped in a harness to a cluster of large helium balloons.