It was a beautiful weekend for the 34th Annual Rogallo Kite festival! Typical with any kite festival, the wind was not completely cooperative. But it was good enough to get the kites up and give everybody an awesome scene to admire atop Jockey's Ridge.
This was my first kite festival as a kitty hawk Kites marketing intern. And I'll admit I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when the weekend began. I obviously knew we'd be flying some kites, but I didn't realize just how massive and impressive they'd be.
For instance, our octopus, affectionately dubbed Squiggs, is 100 feet long! As you can imagine, trying to launch and take down Squiggs in strong wind was a bit of a challenge. There were even a couple times it took 5 people to wrangle him. Once he got under control though, he was quite a sight to see. His huge yellow body and his tentacles flapping around in the clear blue sky. A couple other personal favorites of mine were our giant purple eel and the rainbow koi fish. Both of which slithered around in the air to the point where they looked like they were swimming. It's amazing the show put on by a bit of cloth, some strong line, and a few poles.
Now, I'm by no means an expert yet, but this weekend taught me a lot and gave me a sneak peek into the world of kite flying. There's a lot that goes into flying such huge kites. You don't just need the kite and a line; you need the kite, bridle, line set, carabiner, and sand anchor, and a bit of expert know-how. I learned about the safety when flying large kites, how to tie a larks head, and daisy chain just to name a few of my new skills. Basically, there's a lot more that goes into flying show kites than I could have ever imagined.
As an event crew member, my weekend consisted of a combination of physical labor, interacting with children, and teaching people about kites. To be fair, I didn't shoulder a huge portion of the physical labor given my small size and utter lack of muscles. But that's not to say I didn't pitch in whenever and however I could. One of the highlights for me was set up Saturday morning. When I was helping john harris, owner and founder of Kitty Hawk Kites, prepare and launch numerous large kites. It was surreal to be able to learn so much from a man who is such an expert in the field.
In addition to the eye-catching show kites, the Rogallo Kite Festival included free stunt kite lessons and a Revolution Kite Competition. I spent much of my time tending to the larger kites and unfortunately didn't get to take a lesson. But I did get to talk to many stunt kite flyers, from visitors trying it out for the first time to experienced flyers who travel the country showing off their skills. Watching the performances from afar, the twirls, spins, dives, and other tricks executed by the Revolutions and other stunt kites were every bit as impressive and transfixing as Squiggs' tentacles in their own way. I look forward to trying it out for myself at the next festival in July!
Between digging holes for anchors, talking to curious vacationers on Jockey's Ridge, and relaunching kites that the wind took down, the days actually sped by. There's no denying it was hard work. And being out in the sun for 3 full days certainly took its toll. (I have the awkward suntan/burn lines to prove it). There were moments I just wanted to stop what I was doing, lie down, and fall asleep on the spot.
But for every funk, there was also a moment equally as funny or inspiring or beautiful to break me out of it. Like the moment a huge kite would get launched. I would just watch it float upward so peacefully into the bright blue sky. Or seeing a kid's face light up as they watched the koi fish “swimming” through the air. Or honestly just taking a step back and taking in the whole panorama. A beautiful sunny day on the sand dunes with a bunch of colorful kites floating overhead and the ocean in the distance. I now understand peoples' fascination with kites a whole lot better.
If you missed the Rogallo Festival, don't fret… The Wright Kite Festival hosted at The Wright Brothers' National Memorial July 16-17 will feature many of the same show kites, free stunt kite lessons, and kite-making workshops for the kids. You may also check out this awesome Rogallo Festival recap video below:
Submitted by: Emma Turnbull, 2016 Marketing Intern
