Kite Day excitement: Hundreds fly to Hickory Creek for event
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So you can imagine his excitement to see sunny skies and pleasant temperatures available yesterday morning for an event which hasn’t been blessed with the best weather over the years.
“We’ve been out here in the rain and in the cold,” said Tracy DeRoos, David’s mom. “And he was so happy today because he got his kite up on the first try.”
The kite David was flying was no ordinary kite, but a large tri-plane. It’s the kind of kite most adults struggle to get off the ground, but David, a third-grader at Hickory Creek, was successful keeping it in the air.
David, who says he has about six kites, wasn’t the only kite enthusiast in the crowd. Jim Pierce and his wife, Jill, have also been to every Kite Day.
“We’ve been to every single one of them,” said Jill with a look that indicated she had been dragged to a couple of them.
But based on her knowledge of kites, Jill doesn’t mind the annual event too much. She said she’s read several kite books and is fascinated with kite history.
“Kites actually have a great history when you read about it,” said Jill. “I’ve learned Buffalo Bill had a major influence in the development of kites. He wanted to fly them and use them in sky maneuvers because they were silent and you could use them to find out troop details.”
Jim didn’t seem as interested in the history as he was with his own airplane kite he made from scratch. Using hot glue, tissue paper and dowels of 1/8-inch thickness, Jim had made a pretty impressive, but delicate, kite.
“I’ve been working on it off and on for two or three weeks,” he said, pointing to an area of the kite he recently repaired after it had crashed. “I’m still trying to work out the kinks.”
The event was well attended with estimates of more than 200 people. Prizes were awarded in several categories.