Kite Festival returns to Brookings, aims to get kids outside

BROOKINGS The skies above the Fishback Soccer Complex will be awash with color June 22 and 23 as professional and amateur kite enthusiasts alike celebrate the 25th annual Brookings Optimist Kite Festival.

Organizer Sally Damm Norby said its been magical to see the event grow each year.

Its been an interesting journey on how things progressed, and not only locally but across the nation theres been a real surge in kite festival attendance, Damm Norby said. Were on the second generation now. This year weve added several more vendors just in case the wind doesnt blow because the kite festival is totally dependent on the weather to get the kites up. Therell be other activities, so this is kind of the first year weve expanded it to include the vendors.

Kites remain the main attraction, but this years celebration will also feature face painting, a bike rodeo, food trucks, and more.

Professional kite fliers from across an eight-state region will not only be showcasing their flying prowess with giant kites, but will also be visiting with kids to explain the science and art of good kite flying. As always, kite fliers of any skill level are welcome to bring their own kites out to fly.

The other thing thats new this year that we havent had before and is totally dependent on the weather is the night flight, Damm Norby said. That will only be done by the professional kite fliers. And its after dark, so around 9:30 if the weather is permissible, well have a night kite flight.

She said the evening fliers will have some special lighting arranged so spectators can easily spot the colorful, carefully choreographed kites soaring in the night sky.

Admission for both days of the two-day event is free. Activities will run both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fishback Soccer Complex in Brookings.

Whats so special about this project that the Optimists do is that its intergenerational, Damm Norby said.

So youll see the little guys with grandpas, and grandmas, and moms, and dads, outside no cell phones just trying to get that kite up. And once they get it up, its just like winning a million dollars. They get so excited. Everybody does, all the generations do. And thats whats so fun about all this.