Natchez —Spotting a penguin in Mississippi is a rare sight indeed; seeing two at once is practically unheard of, except in Natchez this weekend.

Two enormous penguin-shaped hot-air balloons took to the skies early Friday morning as part of the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. One of the balloons is named Puddles; the other is named Splash.

In doing so, they marked a little penguin history in Natchez.

Friday morning’s race was the first time the two balloons had ever flown together at the balloon race.

Once aloft, the two moved around each other in the air, a trick their pilots have done at previous events.

“It was short and sweet,” Puddles’ pilot Andy Collett said.

Friday night, Splash made history of its own by being the only balloon crew brave enough to battle the high winds for the balloon glow.

Like Collett, it’s Splash’s first time at the race. But Splash’s pilot Andrew Holly, a race veteran, said the balloon already had a connection to Natchez.

The balloons belong to Exclusive Ballooning, a company based in England. Originally, Puddles was the only penguin balloon, the design and name a result of competitions for the company’s 15th birthday celebration in 2014.

Puddles was unveiled later that year, and began touring countries including Italy and Canada. But when people started taking pictures from above, they said Puddles looked sad.

“We figured what he needed was some company,” Holly said.

The decision to make Splash to accompany Puddles was made in Natchez last year during the 2014 balloon race. After the decision was made, construction began.

“We had her built in complete secrecy,” Holly said.

Splash was finally unveiled to the public in a big event in Bristol, England, in August. At the event, the pilots brought the lovebird balloons in for their first kiss.

The original plan, Holly said, was to keep one of the balloons in the states, but things didn’t work out that way.

“Everyone wants to see the two together,” Holly said.

Last weekend, the balloons went to Albuquerque, N.M., home of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, where Holly said the soaring penguins stole the show and were mobbed by crowds. The balloons even got a special send-off.

“They all roared as we went up,” Collett said.

The crowd had a similar reaction when Splash made it into the air at the balloon glow — cheering loudly. Holly said the crew is used to doing tethers in difficult weather and Puddles’ crew pitched in to keep everything secure.

“I was just determined to try and do it if we could,” Holly said on the night of the glow.

While the Saturday flights were cancelled due to high winds the team hopes to fly today, giving Natchez another chance to see the lovebirds in action. A Sunday morning flight, weather permitting, is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Sign up for free text alerts to let you know if the balloons are going aloft and where they likely can be seen by going to natchezdemocrat.com.

The festival grounds off the southern end of Broadway Street, will open at noon with musical acts beginning at 1 p.m.