Eighth annual event offers prime kite-flying weather
The community received a special treat Saturday morning for the Mini Standard’s annual Kite Day. There was actually a breeze.
Kites were soaring and spirits were high during the eighth annual event at Hickory Creek Elementary. The temperature was also just a bit nippy, but the folks who bundled up were rewarded with quality kite-flying weather.
“It was blustery,” said Mini Standard editor and Kite Day organizer Margaret Hobbs. “From what I saw, the children just had a wonderful time and that’s what Kite Day is all about.”
Retired teacher Joe Wooden brought his daughter and grandchildren to Kite Day. The 69-year-old Wooden says he has loved kites since his childhood.
“When I was a kid, we used to make our own kites,” said Wooden, who was struggling to get a medium-sized airplane kite in the air. “If I was 20 years younger and could run a little better, flying this wouldn’t be a problem.”
Wooden taught school for 25 years and also spent six years in the Army. His daughter, Jane Ann Loftis, says he’s the reason the family makes such an effort to attend Kite Day.
“The kids love it but he’s the real reason behind it,” said Loftis. “He buys all the kites and still loves flying them.”
Loftis and her three children, Lila, Bec and Zeb, had their hands full with an assortment of kites, some of them way in the air.
“That Mickey Mouse is a $1 kite and it flies the best of all of them,” said Loftis pointing to a kite so high you couldn’t tell Mickey Mouse was the character on it. “The first year we came here, we bought a huge airplane kite called the Red Barron. It was huge and we didn’t have enough wind to fly it. But I think there’s enough wind to fly it today. We should have brought it.”
Stormy Hall and her family were attending their second Kite Day. She said her children were excited from the moment they woke up Saturday morning.
“They got up this morning and said, ‘Come on, let’s go. It’s Kite Day,'” said Hall. “They were pretty excited.”
Hall and her son, Sawyer, tried to get a large shark kite off the ground without much luck. The lack of success prompted Sawyer to call in the reserves — his dad.