NATCHEZ — Just before 5 p.m. on Sunday the first balloon of Sunday’s last flight took off from the festival grounds at Rosalie.

While the actual festival didn’t end with the last flight, the finial take-off served as a symbolic wind down to the 2008 Great Mississippi River Balloon Race.

And by all accounts this year’s race was a success.

Organizers, pilots and vendors all said the festival was pretty much perfect — maybe even one of the best ever.

Organizer Sally Durkin said even though the winds for some events weren’t perfect, little could have been done to make the weekend better.

“Overall it was awesome,” Durkin said. “There was good weather, good turnout and great flying.”

During competition on Saturday and Sunday, some pilots found difficulty with stiff winds.

In Saturday’s competition some pilots were blown nearly 20 miles from their points of origin.

And winds during Sunday’s contest blew some pilots off point from their targets.

“The winds weren’t 100 percent,” Durkin said. “But 85 percent is close enough.”

Less concerned with the winds were the crowds and the vendors.

Mimi Miller, in charge of logo sales for the race, said this year’s race was the best ever for shirt sales.

“It’s been a good weekend,” Miller said looking over mostly empty crates of shirts.

And food vendors at the event also said they were pleased with the pace of business at the race.

Spectators at the event said the weather and the pilots made the weekend one to remember.

Loveta Hayes was up early to watch those pilots in Sunday’s contest.

“It’s so beautiful,” Hayes said sitting on the hood of her SUV watching the balloons drift past. “I have never seen anything this neat.”

But the balloon race wouldn’t be much without the pilots — and they, too, had no complaints about the weekend.

Pilot George Richard has participated in the race for close to 20 years and said this year’s race was one of the best.

“The winds were a little fast,” Richard said. “But other than that everything went off really smooth. It was really a good weekend.”

And this weekend one pilot rose above the rest — Joe Heartsill, of San Angelo, Texas, won the weekend’s competition.

“You need some skill and a lot of luck,” he said after Sunday’s award ceremony at the Eola.

This was only Heartsill’s second time competing in the Natchez race.

“I was just happy to win,” he said.

And while the race is a competitive event, for one pilot it’s about more than scoring points.

Pilot Cyndi Joseph said her favorite part of the Natchez race is the audience.

“I enjoy them about as much as they enjoy watching us,” she said. “If it weren’t for them, there’d be no point in it.”