It’s finally here … another Great Mississippi River Balloon Race weekend. And if the predictions hold, we should have great weather throughout the weekend for all of the festivities, from balloon flights to delicious food to good music.

As always, we welcome into town the throngs of people who will share the weekend with us.

These visitors will be staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants and buying gas at our service stations, in addition to the money they spend at the festival itself.

Seems to us like we need to show them the best hospitality possible.

Natchez is renowned for its good Southern manners, but occasionally we have a few people who don’t quite live up to the reputation.

So as a reminder, let’s make sure that when people stop to ask directions or ask how to find a good place to eat, we put on, as our mothers would say, our best behavior.

With so many people in town, we’re bound to have an increase in something Natchez rarely sees &045;&045; traffic. So when folks with out-of-state license plates look a bit lost in the streets, try not to honk the horn.

All in all, let’s have a happy and safe balloon race weeekend. We’re thrilled to have everyone in town and glad to be able to welcome another year of flights, food and fun.