IDAHO KITE FESTIVAL 2009 UPDATE

Kite Festival plans continue to grow, and all events are free thanks to a grant from the Japanese American Citizens League legacy fund!  Here are some additions:

Cancer Support Group Kitemaking – September 15, 5 pm, PMC Oncology

The Portneuf Medical Center cancer support group will make kites to celebrate survivors and memorialize friends.  Last year the group made beautiful breast cancer and war kites.  This year kites from both years will be flown at the Festival in a special memorial fly.

Fall Children’s Festival – September 23, 4-6 pm, College of Southern Idaho

Already on the schedule is kitemaking at the Asian Students Organization cultural arts festival in Twin Falls. 

Marshall Library Kitemaking – Oct 1, 113 South Garfield

Already on the schedule is a workshop at Marshall – register at the library or call 232-1263.

New Location for Flies

The flying field on Thursday Oct 2 will be the church park adjacent to the Portneuf Library, who hosts kitemaking at 2 pm (register at the library or call 208.241.3215).  After the workshop we’ll parade to the park.  If you already have a kite please join us and fly!

The flying field Oct 3-5 will be Tyhee School each day until 2:30.  Soccer will take over the field at 3 pm, and we’ll move to afternoon workshop sites except for Sunday when the Festival will end at 2:30.  Kitemaking with Tyhee students TBA.

Kitemaking With the Veterans - October 3, 7 pm, Memorial Building, 300 S. Johnson

Come one, come all to make a kite with vets.  Celebrate your favorite vets or memorialize a war, then fly them at the Festival in a special fly.

Flying field schedule:  This will include the veterans’ and cancer memorial flies, the teddy bear parachute jump, the fighter kite battle and other demonstrations, the 100 kite train flying over the Festival, and some prize contests for kids and kids at heart.  Because weather will be the biggest factor, we’ll have several days to put on events rather than the one shot we had last year (when it snowed two inches).

The schedule will be loose so we can hold flying events as wind and weather allow.  This gives us more opportunities to offer all events, so come out and be surprised and amazed!

FUN FLIES THIS YEAR, or THE TRAIN IS COMING….

The JACL Picnic Fathers Day Fly in Blackfoot

The first flight for our IKF 2008 kite train:  30-some kites flew easily over Veterans Park

Auntie Ruth’s Birthday Party in Ontario OR

Second flight for kite train:  55 kites were prepared to fly, but the wind was so strong we brought the train down after putting 40-some up!

AARP Summer Picnic in Pocatello

Winds were a faint breeze but we managed to fly kites specially decorated for AARP!  The train was grounded that day.

Nisei Club Picnic in Twin Falls

The breeze barely lifted a single kite, so though 80-some kites made up the train in progress, none were flown.  Nisei Club kites flew briefly!

The complete 100+ kite train will be flown at IKF 2008 every opportunity the wind gives us.  Come out and see the amazing sight of this many kites flying on one line!  Dean Turnblom of Sunrise Kites in Idaho Falls and I have assembled this one.  You can help make the 2009 kite train – just let us know you are willing and we’ll show you how!