Fair skies make for great flying, and great flying made for a successful weekend, Great Mississippi River Balloon Race officials said Sunday.

Sunny skies Friday and Saturday brought crowds, and although the winds picked up Sunday, Pilot and Crew Coordinator Sally Durkin said she was very pleased with the weekend overall.

“Compared with last year, this was an ideal weekend,” Durkin said. “I think everything went off without a hitch.”

This year, Sunday morning and afternoon flights were canceled, just to be on the safe side.

“The winds did something different than what we expected,” Durkin said. “Although it’s not bad for flying, it’s not real good for landing. It gets a little bumpy.”

Saturday, the festival grounds on the bluff were packed.

“We went to selling arm bands because we sold out of tickets Saturday,” Durkin said. “It looked a little thin (Sunday), but I think you can attribute that to everyone having too much fun (Saturday) night.”

Luke and Laurie Landry drive from West Monroe, La., every year to enjoy balloon race weekend.

When the couple honeymooned in Natchez 25 years ago, they fell in love with the town, they said.

“We like the home-like atmosphere and the different personalities,” Laurie Landry said. “And the food is exquisite.”

For Tom and Suzanne Edwards, this was their first trip to Natchez. They traveled from Sanford, Fla., to see friends and, of course, the balloons.

“Now, we’ve decided to make it an annual trip,” Susanne Edwards said.

Tom Edwards said he loved seeing the balloon glow Friday night and following balloon crews Saturday morning to watch them launch.

“It was a lot of fun chasing them around,” he said. “We watched them all take off. Then, we drove to the target to watch them drop (the beanbags).”

“That was the best part,” his wife said.

The couple enjoyed the weekend so much, they plan to spread the word.

“We’ll tell our friends back in Orlando,” Tom Edwards said.

For balloonists, too, the weekend was a success.

Pilot Karen Kent from Port Allen, La., said the weather was much better this year.

“We had some great weather and some great flying days,” she said.

Kent said she really enjoyed flying in Natchez.

“I love the competition,” she said. “And the people show up everywhere. We flew in Vidalia (Saturday) and these people came to watch us. If you fly over a house, people will wave and yell. It’s lots of fun.”

Kent said she even saw people stop along the highway to catch her attention.”

“They wave and say, ‘Thank you for being here,’” Kent said. “That’s really cool.”