International kite festival
One of my favorite songs is Let’s Go Fly a Kite, from Mary Poppins. It’s played at the end, when the father realizes that his family is more important than his job. Rita and I have a kite of our own, in the shape of a Frog, and sing the song enthusiastically when we fly it. We used to have a more typical blue kite, but we lost it in the rocks of the Oregon Coast.
Washington has an event that I think “flies” under the radar. It is the Washington State International Kite Festival, hosted every summer in Long Beach. It is the largest and longest running kite festival in North America, yet few know about it. Tens of thousands of people attend, and there are a wide variety of competitions to participate in.
Rita and I attended a few summers ago with our dog Toad. We stayed outside of Long Beach, at Bruceport campsite in South Bend. All the state campgrounds were under no fire restrictions, due to wildfires out east. Fortunately, being a county campground, we didn’t need to follow the blanket state rules. Camping is no fun without s’mores. The next morning, we drove to the beach for the kite festival. Let’s go fly a kite.
When frogs fly
One of the cooler events is sport kiting. This is a team event, and members each fly specially designed kites in a series of choreographed moves. They work closely together, shouting out moves and moving in tight lines. It’s like synchronized swimming, and the rest of us are treading water.
Many of the competitions are formal, with start times and designated areas. However, in general people are free to move around the beach and fly their kites. That’s how we spent most of the morning. Flying our Frog kite high, we walked around and explored. Sometimes we tempted fate by walking out into the surf. Based on subtle changes in the wind, the kite could drop perilously close to the ocean.
There is a part of the beach where they host events more akin to ballet. Here, individuals fly kites in an artistic way, with music playing in the background. There is also an announcer giving information on the kites and people. Out by the ocean though it can be hard to hear.
My favorite event of the day was called Mass Ascension. Everybody flies their kites at once, creating quite a spectacle. This is the time for people with unusual and gigantic kites to steal the show. We were proud of our Frog, but it was hard to beat the giant Astronaut.
