It’s kite season! Well, every season is actually kite season but summer is ideally suited to this pursuit of idyllic childhood reminiscing. And summer is always the season for an array of kite festivals. 
Scheduled for June 22 -23 the annual Summer Kite Festival is a Lincoln City, Oregon family vacation tradition Organizers promote the event with an invitation, “Join us for two days of kite flying activities on the beach at the D River State Recreation Site that will have you soaring.”
On June 2, in Naperville. Illinois at Frontier Sports Complex, 3380 Cedar Glade Drive, it’s the Kites Fly event. Organizers are giving a big shout out to Chicagokite and their friends that will be performing for this event. Traditionally the event has had kites of every size and description soaring on the winds including one entry that was 90 feet in length. In addition to kites and kite displays that include demonstrations and stunts there will be free musical entertainment.
Would you like to get your kicks on Route 66 AND go fly a kite? At the traditional end of that iconic highway, Santa Monica Pier, the annual Otis College Kite Festival brings a community kite making event to the legendary pier. World renowned kite artists and designers are invited to share their expertise and passion for kite design, making and flying. Attendees of the event attend classes and learn how to construct their own Sumi and Tetra Kites, and watch expert kite flying masters have their artistic kites as well as large inflatable dance on the breeze. Every child and attendee receives a DYI kite kit. Scheduled for the afternoon of June 15, the 8th annual festival is a fun and and enriching experience for children of all ages (from 6 to 96 years of age).
A destination for any kite enthusiast has to be the World Kite Museum in Long Beach, Washington, host of an array of events throughout the summer. In the mid 1980’s a group of local kite enthusiasts began to discuss the idea of forming a museum dedicated to kites. Over the course of a few months the group met to research available building, possible development of a nonprofit organization, and other basic details that were needed to establish the museum. The year 1989, the Washington State centennial is now considered the cornerstone of the initiative.
Linked with the states centennial celebrations were initiatives focused on the development of museums and history preserving organizations, and workshops offered by the state to encourage upgrading and fostering museums. The fledgling museum board chose areas that were pertinent to their project and learned about gift shop management, artifact acquisition, writing a mission statement, goals, and objectives, and storage techniques. This was also the year that David Checkley’s widow donated a collection of 700 Japanese, Chinese and Malaysian kites to the museum. The 300 Japanese kites in the collection are considered the most complete collection of historic kites outside of Japan. Check out their website for event and museum information.
Would you like to know more about kites and kite events? Stop by Tumbleweeds and Tarantulas today!
Written by Jim Hinckley’s America
