TUNICA, MS (abc24.com) - Is it a bird? A plane? A hot air balloon? If you look up in Tunica this weekend, they'll be there. The county's hosting its first ever Balloon Bash.
Organizers are hoping for good weather and plenty of tourists.
"It's a full weekend of balloons in the air," says Webster Franklin with Tunica's Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
You'll see them by air and on the ground. "There's 40 other balloons here," says pilot Larry Young.
"They come as far away as Ohio and Texas," Franklin says. "Some are from Mississippi and fly all over the world."
Pilots are bringing their balloons to town for a weekend race.
"It's a race in word only," says Young. "It's more tactical. They will set out some targets in the morning which consists of a big X. They'll give you some wind directions and you will take off three miles from that X, fly to that X and throw a bean bag with a tail on it. The bag closest to the center gets the most points."
There's something for everyone, even those new to the sport.
"We'll have balloon glows tonight," Franklin tells abc24.com. "Ten balloons at each property: the Fitz, Gold Strike, Horseshoe and Hollywood. They'll do a balloon glow. There will be tethered rides where you can get in a balloon and go up about 40 feet."
Young has flown for 20 years. He hopes the winds are calm this weekend.
"It's a safety issue. If you're flying too fast and come down too fast it could cause some damage," he says. "Usually the wind will die late in the evenings. As the sun goes down, the wind comes down. We should be able to get the glows off and the tethers if the wind is not too much."
"To see 40 balloons in the air will be a pretty good sight," Franklin adds.
They are lighting up the balloons on the ground Friday and Saturday night for the "glows".
Early risers can see them fly at 7 a.m. Saturday morning. If the weather's good they'll also fly Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.
