Kite Fest will fly high in Liberty Lake
Flowers are blooming, spotting gardens and yards with specks of color.
Saturday, the skies over Liberty Lake’s Pavillion Park will also be specked with color as dozens of kites take flight for the city’s second annual Kite Fest. Children and the inner child in everyone are urged to attend.
Last year, the event brought in about 100 fliers and a couple of dozen people participated in the kite making workshop where they learned to make Brazilian fighter kites.
This year the two-hour workshop will focus on three-dimensional tetrahedron kites made out of basic straws and tissue paper. Pre-made kites will be available for youngsters to color.
Kite enthusiast, real estate agent and Liberty Lake resident Justin Bennett attended the event last year and plans on coming back this year. He began flying kites about 13 years ago with a desire to harness the power of the wind.
He will be bringing four kites ranging in size from two feet to 15 feet wide. He’ll demonstrate his ability and invite others to learn from him. “It’s fun to share my passion with others,” he said, “Flying kites really puts a smile on your face.” He said that one kite that he will bring called a foil kite, can lift someone off the ground.
A group of kite fliers called the Lilac City Wind Chasers also attended the event last year and have been invited this year. Other kite fans are expected to attend and perhaps give a pointer or two to the novices.
The kite making workshop costs $5 dollars, but the event itself is free and prizes will be awarded for the homemade kite that can fly the longest and other fun competitions. The prizes include kites from China, Singapore and Thailand.
As people often forget to smell the roses passed by in gardens and yards so do they often forget to “go fly a kite,” which is a comment that should not be taken negatively. Like smelling a rose, hanging onto a string that controls an object in flight hundreds of feet up is exhilarating yet peaceful, and reminiscent of childhood pleasures.