This is extreme
kite fl ying:
spins, fl ips, fl oats
and turns at
a speed that
seems all but
impossible
... The judges
are the other
competitors
and you — the
crowd. If you
want to see
great kite fl ying,
don’t miss
this one.
RETURN OF
THE KITES
Submitted photo
Bolstad Avenue beach approach is full of crowds and vendor tents
during the Washington State International Kite Festival.
Photo by Natalie St. John
A 25-second exposure shows the path of four lighted kites that dipped and swooped in time to music during a synchronized performance during last year’s lighted kite night fl y.
Photo by Lynette Rae McAdams
The wonder of kites appeals to all ages during the Washington State
International Kite Festival.
A
erial battles, mystery ballets, mass ascensions, and teddy
bears parachuting from the sky. It must be the Washington State Internation-
al Kite Festival, and it packs a lot of fun and color into a few days.
One of the area’s most popular gatherings, the kite festival is in its 35th
year, with events, sights, competitions, and workshops for young and old.
Story by DWIGHT CASWELL
Photo by Natalie St. John
Father and son John Stefan, left, and Doug Stefan worked together
to launch a huge – and very stubborn – kite during the kite festival.
Even a tiny bit of sand can upset the balance if it gets inside the kite.
10 | August 20, 2015 | coastweekend.com
The festival is free; the only charge is $2 for park-
ing close to the beach, if you don’t want to walk or
take the trolley from downtown. There are plenty of
opportunities for the public to participate, and if you
want to À y your kite or buy one there and À y it
simply sign up for free at the registration tent.
The festival started Monday and continues
through Sunday. Thursday’s festivities begins at
9:30 a.m. with the handcrafted kite competition.
Categories of kites include arches, trains and centi-
pedes, multi-line or novelty kites, ¿ ghter kites, and
other designs more numerous than a non-kiter can
imagine. 1e[t up is the ³mega À y´ of cellular kites.
These are traditional and not-so-traditional box kites,
as well as star kites and a variety of other designs.
Anybody who registers can enter this one.
On both Friday and Saturday you can see a va-
riety of sport kite events for individuals and teams.
A sport kite, also known as a stunt kite, is a kite
maneuvered by two or more lines so that it can
perform a variety of compulsory ¿ gures, as in ice
skating competitions, with names like Pair Square
Cuts and Land, Arch de Triomphe, and Cascade.
These events are not for beginners; competitors
from all over the 1orthwest have quali¿ ed in other
Submitted photo
There are tons of events at the kite festival to enjoy, including sport
kite competitions, mass ascensions, a kite ballet, a lighted kite night
fl y, kids’ activities, the parade of colors and more.
kite events for this competition.
There are also mass ascensions of kites on Fri-
day, Saturday and Sunday. These colorful À ies are
also open to the public, and if your kite is still in
the air after an hour, you are awarded a pin and the
boasting rights that go with it. Friday sees ascensions
of cellular kites and triangular “Deltas and Delta De-
rivatives.´ On Saturday it’s À at and bowed kites. Flat
kites come in many shapes; bowed kites are the ones
that look like an inverted “8.´ Sunday’s mass ascen-
sion is of sparless soft kites.
Friday is one highlight after another. Following
the sport kite events and mass ascension is the junior
competition for À iers and under with kites con-
trolled by two lines. Next is a ballet.
Ballet? you ask. At a kite festival? Holli Frid-
dle-Kemmer, director of the World Kite Museum,
explains, “This event is improvisational. Each com-
petitor must perform certain maneuvers, but doesn’t
know the music or compulsory ¿ gures until the
competition starts.´ ,t’s the ja]] of kite À ying and it’s
not an of¿ cial competition. ,t’s all for fun, and a real
crowd pleaser.
The last Friday event is a lighted kite night À y
participants must register by p.m., followed by
¿ reworks at 9: p.m.
Saturday ramps up with more sport kite events
and, at 2:30 p.m., a spectacular performance by the
Long Beach Bears. Skilled skydivers, these bears
train for months to perfect their routines. The dar-
ing bears who graduate from this rigorous schooling
will parachute earthward looking forward to a long
retirement in the arms of a child 9 or younger. Chil-
dren wishing to do their part by catching the bears
must register between :30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for
a drawing to decide the lucky teddy bear catchers.
The parade of colors ² the ¿ rst 00 registrants
with a banner or kite — takes place along the board-
walk immediately after the bears have secured their
new buddies. Kids will meet the Fairy Godmother
of the Parade, and afterwards they can join the chil-
dren’s kite-making class. Or not. They may choose
the 5okkaku Challenge instead, which starts at :30
p.m.
,n 3th century -apan there was a 5okkaku clan
More info
The entrance to the Washington
State International Kite Festival is at
the Bolstad Avenue beach approach
in Long Beach, Washington. You can
download a program at kitefestival.
com or pick one up at the World Kite
Museum, 303 Sid Snyder Drive in
Long Beach, or call 360-642-4020.
of Samurai, and the traditional “5okkaku dako´ is
a six-sided ¿ ghter kite made with bamboo spars
and washi paper, often decorated with the face of a
famous Samurai. The Rokkaku Challenge features
teams of at least three members À ying traditional
hexagonal kites. Customarily these kites are À own
with strings coated with ground glass or sharp ob-
jects to cut the lines of opponents’ kites. Rather
than having a lot of dangerous debris on a beach
full of people, À iers win by snaring opponent kites
and bringing them to the ground — the kite-À ying
equivalent of bringing your enemy to his knees. Not
“enemy,´ though. The emphasis, the Kite Festival
program says, “,s on fun more than winning.´ So all
those guys and gals out there with the Samurai ¿ ght-
ing kites? -ust having a good time.
Saturday concludes with an Auction and Trib-
ute, an important fundraiser for the World Kite
Museum and the festival itself. Keep the kites À y-
ing by purchasing your $2 ticket at the museum
only 200 sold, and if you’re feeling inspired, join
the others at the Elks Lodge who are wearing the
suggested “cellular kite theme out¿ t.´ Later watch
more ¿ reworks over the beach.
Sunday starts with more sport kite events.
The big one is the “Hot Tricks´ competition from
:30 to 3 p.m. This is extreme kite À ying: spins,
À ips, À oats and turns at a speed that seems all but
impossible. Two À yers go head-to-head, À ying a
brief timed À ight to music. The winner of each
round goes on to the next in this fast-paced event,
and the judges are the other competitors and you
— the crowd. ,f you want to see great kite À ying,
don’t miss this one.
For those of you who miss beach buggying, it’s
back. These buggies and “blokarts´ are wind-pow-
ered vehicles towed by large cellular “power
kites.´ Much like the chutes used for paragliding,
these kites hold enough air to pull a small vehicle
and rider down the beach at a pretty good clip. Af-
ter years of discussion, the Washington State Parks
Commission has decided to allow beach buggies
on Long Beach north of Cranberry Road. This
is three miles north of the kite À ying action, but
worth the drive to see the blokarts blow by.
August 20, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 11