Let's Go Fly A Kite....

     ImaginAir. What is wonderful name for a festival of kites. The things you can imagine while looking up into the air.

Ilse (Al's Mom) and I in the festival frame.

     It was exciting to see all the different types of kites flying in the air. Children were flying their own kites that they had just finished making. The weather was perfect with enough wind to show off the kites. There were different demonstrations of kite flying. The first one we saw was a group of people each flying a kite but these kites were dancing in the air, following each other in various patterns. They had to be very aware of the wind and other kites to make this work well.

Group of people flying kites that followed each other in the air.

Here they are making a pattern in the sky.

     There were different shapes of kites. Here are some of them:

Kite shaped like a ship.

A fish

Not sure what this is supposed to be but it is different.

Very colourful! Yes, that is a bird shaped kite beside the big one.

A close up of the bird kite. Beautiful!

The sky was full of them.

Beautiful with a long tail.

"Did you see the alien up in the sky? Oh, it's just a kite."

Even on the ground there were things blowing in the wind. A line of butterflies.

Ilse and I have wings. Where will we go?

A garden full of whirl-i-gigs. Pretty!

     There were more at the festival than just kites. There were games and activities for children. Venues and food for the adults. Many things to experience. Just sit and look up into the sky.

You even had to look up to see certain characters walking
around. Walking elegantly on stilts must be hard but this person was able to pull it off.

This guy must have been new to the skill of stilt walking.
He needed some extra support.

This expert is one with the moves.

We saw at least 7 different people walking on stilts

"Hello, down there!"

Fascinating! More characters. They played their characters well.

If I was younger I would have loved to try this out. Looks like great fun.

     The last demonstration we saw was one kite flyer with several large kites moving smoothly through the air in various patterns. The kites were long with ribbons hanging from them which made the flight more spectacular. As time went by, more kites were introduced into the pattern.

Around and around they go.

Canadian and American colours dancing in the sky.

The ribbons trailed the kites to show the flow of the patterns.

There were about 7 or 8 kites in the air at once. This photo only shows 6.

Around and around, up and down, back and forth. Great skill is needed to ensure
that the kites stay in formation.

     Being at the ImaginAir Festival reminds me of the song Let's Go Fly A Kite from the 1964 movie, Mary Poppins. The words from the chorus sum up all the fun you will have with kites. Click here to see the original footage from the movie.

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height
Let's go fly a kite
And send it soaring,
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
Oh, let's go fly a kite

When you send it flying up there
All at once you're lighter than air
You can dance on the breeze over houses and trees
With your fist holding tight
To the string of your kite

At the end of our time there Ilse and I took a ride to the car on the free pedal
car. The ride was for fun because you can see our red van in the background not
too far away. We could have walked but it was an experience going by human
power along the rolling pathways in the park.

      Summer is a time for great fun. There are so many festivals running in most cities and town. Do you know about the ones closest to you? Whether you are making, flying or just watching, kites are magically sailing through the air. An enjoyment for all ages. When was the last time you flew a kite?