5A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018 TAKING TO THE SKY IN LONG BEACH Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Kites fly over the sand during the festival in Long Beach. By COLIN MURPHEY The Daily Astorian A lack of windy weather for the Washington State International Kite Festival may have temporarily grounded some of the larger displays, but the air was still filled with smaller kites this week. And, much to the crowd’s amusement, some kites were fighting each other in a “rokkaku” battle in a cordoned-off area. While it’s all in good fun, the last kite flying is certain to be target No. 1 at next year’s festival. A contestant in the rokkaku kite battle tries to un- tangle lines. Ronda Brewer maneuvers her kite into position during the rokkaku battle event. Maneuela Martinez flies a kite in the dunes near Long Beach. Ronda Brewer keeps a tight grip on her kite. Randy Pedersen stumbles as he tries to free his tangled kite during the rokkaku battle.