By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer
The free kite festival held at Lake Gregory’s San Moritz Meadow on the last day of May was a complete success as families came out to fly kites in the breeze, next to Lake Gregory’s shore.
The sun was out, the weather was warming all afternoon, until the festival ended around 4 p.m. and some kites flew even later. Several kites were up in the air before the 1 p.m. start. As people came to the jazz concert at the San Moritz Lodge that afternoon, many members of the audience came outside to watch the kites from that side of the creek, before the 3:30 p.m. concert began.
The Lake Gregory Company had an E-Z Up, giving out free white kites that could be colored by the kids and then flown by those who came to the park for the afternoon without a kite. Located next to it was a free lemonade and cold water stand operated by Vicki Vargas from the Crest Forest Senior Citizens Club. This free day in the park was exciting for all ages and fun to watch, even for those not flying kites.
Families with children as young as 3 months were sitting on blankets on the grassy meadow, some with umbrellas, and a couple of pop-ups were also observed. At least 50 kites were counted, some flying high; kites of all shapes and sizes – box kites, space ships, jet airplanes, butterflies, dragons and even traditional diamond-shaped kites – were being launched all afternoon.
Many of the kids had never flown a kite before, and adults who flew kites as kids were demonstrating to them how to launch them by running, while the wind picked up the kite into the air. Many of the kites did crash land but, since most were the newer plastic-style kites, they rarely were broken.
Local kids Taylor, 7, and Gweneth, 5, both had drawn a design on their individual white kites from the Lake Gregory Company, each with its colorful kite tail, and had fun running and launching them.
Other participants were second-grader Aspen Amos, who was very persistent in trying to fly her kite. Tobias, her brother, was more successful in getting his blue kite aloft. Elina Pino, 3, was having a great time watching all the colorful kites in the sky. Parents launched many of the kites initially and then had the kids fly them while up in the skies.
Kite flying at the San Moritz Meadow is a fun, and encouraged, year-round activity. The meadow is located next to the new playground near the San Moritz Lodge and the bait and tackle shop on Lake Gregory’s eastern shore. This kite flying festival began several years ago and has continued every May since, reminding everyone about how much fun it is to fly a kite.
Vicki Vargas has been involved in the kite festival for several years and was seen launching the kite that Candace Pearson of the Lake Gregory Community Advisory Committee brought with her. Pearson had never flown a kite before, so she was willing to watch and learn. The weather was perfect because of the slight breeze and the warm updrafts over the meadow.
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