Indoor Kite Festival. No Wind Needed

Yesterday, the wind whipped through my yard pulling the covering off the outdoor furniture. Yes, it’s March and the wind has picked up. Thinking about wind got me thinking about kite flying.

Turns out, you don’t need wind to fly a kite. In Lincoln City, Oregon people fly kites indoors. At least the end of March they do. Not just any kite will stay aloft above a high school gym and not just any technique will keep it up in the air. At the Indoor Kite Festival, March 30-April 1, you can learn exactly how to send a kite soaring. During the festival, expert kite flyers demonstrate how to get a kite to look like it’s dancing at the end of its lines. The result is that as the flier moves in certain ways, the kite will move in response. Instead of the wind being a force, the kite flyer is. There is a video on the website that highlights different performances and some kite flying tips.

If you go, you can take kite flying lessons and there are activities geared towards children. This festival could hardly be any cheaper. It costs $2 for all three days. For an article that explains more about the festival, click here. The photo is of Penny Lingenfelter who is featured in the video on the website. She explains what helps this kite fly.