Kites will fly in Liberty Lake

Multicolored specks will be flying over Liberty Lake’s Pavillion Park next Saturday for the first, hopefully not their last, kite festival.

Brazilian native Adriano Eva has been interning for the Liberty Lake Parks and Recreation Department and he will be heading the event. “I built and flew Brazilian fighting kites when I was a kid,” he said. He got quite good at building them. “If I lost my kite in the fight, I’d build another in under 30 minutes. I was in a hurry to get back into the game.”

Using bamboo, tissue paper and cotton thread brought over from Brazil, Eva will be teaching a kite-making class from 1 to 3 p.m. He will teach tricks for his students and other kite enthusiasts from 3 to 5 p.m. “There will be no fighting though, only flying,” he said.

In Brazil, the kite, called a pipa, is often used as therapy. Eva recently returned from a trip to Brazil. “I saw a sign. Translated, it read: ‘Pipa or kite therapy.’ It’s a peaceful hobby. With this kind of kite, you can fly it 500 yards up in the air while still maintaining control.”

Eva is a recent Eastern Washington University graduate. With a major in recreation management and a minor in business, he hopes to own a recreational business in the area. “Specifically in soccer,” he said.