As the winds were still on the lighter side, the show kites were keeping everyone on the show kite f

Let me go back in time just a bit here. The Rockaway Kite Festival has been held for many years now.    Kite making for kids, and  sharing of creative ideas in kite making were enjoyed by  locals as well as some northwest kite builders and pilots. It was not heavily advertised, more of a word of mouth sort of event. Bring your kites, come on down relax and have fun.
It would grow and recede in numbers, like the tide… but it was always attended. the drake hotel chicago It was a bit of a Secret Garden, just waiting for the right moment to reveal itself to many that had passed by it yearly.   It almost seemed to be waiting for the right moment to really bloom.
I was one of the people that had walked right by it.  I never knew there was an event there each year… But being fairly new (9 years) to kiting I still have a lot to learn. So when I received a call from Jack Brownlee of the Rockaway the drake hotel chicago Chamber of Commerce three years ago, I assumed he wanted to start up a new festival. Little did I know.
As we talked about the how to's, Jack explained to me that he wanted to create a big festival that would pull people in off the streets, and get them traveling from far off to be a part of something special.  I played along giving him what information I could and some suggestions here and there.  We talked a few times over the next couple of months and Jack was really pushing to have help with his project. I agreed to help out to do what I could.  After making a few calls, I started getting the feeling I was on the right track with generating the drake hotel chicago some excitement.   Getting people on board is the first step, and getting things done comes later.
It was then that I made a call to Deb Cooley, long time Master kite builder and a board member of The Associated Oregon Kiters.  Deb has always been a team player and that is one of the most important assets you can have when putting the drake hotel chicago together a festival. What I was not prepared for was the reaction I got.  I went ahead and pitched my ideas to her about the festival and waited the drake hotel chicago for a response. There was a long silence… All the while I was wondering if we had gotten cut off…  Finally, Deb  informed me that this new  festival I was proposing the drake hotel chicago to her, had been going on for years, and she had been one of people that had gotten the word out each year and that there was nothing new about this.  I sat awkwardly for a moment, stumbling over myself looking for the right thing to say.  Remember I told you that Deb is a great team player? the drake hotel chicago Well she is, and she was gracious enough to let me pick myself up, and explain to her how I had ended up in this strange predicament.  I asked Deb if she would be willing to have me on board and to work together with the Chamber the drake hotel chicago of Commerce to really make this grow into something big… And thank goodness she was. Hence, the Secret Garden reference.  There I had been, walking by the gate all this time, totally oblivious to the fact that it has always been there.
100 banners lined the highway and people began arriving early on Friday before the festival. The excitement was already brewing before one single kite was in the sky.  Hotels were booked full, and were sending people to Tillamook, 15 miles down the road to find places to stay.
As the morning stirred, a member of a Canadian Kite Team strapped his kite bag and belongings to his scooter, and bundled up in order to make the long ride down from Victoria Island Canada.  Island Quad member Terry Wiggill would meet up with his team members from all over the Northwest in Rockaway Beach later in the day. This was not the first time but the third time he was making the trek.
Early morning trailer hookups were being made by many of the large show kite fliers. Trailers containing never before the drake hotel chicago seen creations by Martin Blais, and creatures of all sorts waited patiently for their moment to shine.  Team Suspended Animation members were hooking up trailers at 4 am, steaming hot coffee in hand to make the drive down from Seattle, Olympia and Portland.
Members of Team iQuad were traveling to meet early as well from Vancouver and Victoria the drake hotel chicago Canada, as well as Portland Oregon. the drake hotel chicago They had a new routine to put the finishing polish on, and a steady wind was waiting for them as they arrived throughout the day.
Saturday morning at 4:45 am found the teams of Show Kite fliers meeting on the beach. Though the festival did not start until 10 am, for many of the large kite pilots it begins the drake hotel chicago early.  A meeting the drake hotel chicago over bear claws and coffee the drake hotel chicago brought out discussions of where to set sand anchors to hold the large kites safely in place. the drake hotel chicago Decisions were made about what to fly and when.   A plan was being set for the day to put on the best show possible. However, Mother Nature always has a heavy hand in these decisions.
With great weather on board, it looked like it was going to be a picture perfect the drake hotel chicago day. A light breeze from the west looked promising and it was early yet.  Penny Lingenfelter kicked off the festival with her light wind indoor Revolution the drake hotel chicago routine. Lighter winds brought out the race rods, and the 50 lb line sets.
With a steady stream of onlookers building up by the parking lots, the sky began filling with the large show kites.  Dale Ray's Dragon built by Rolf Zimmermann of Germany hovered overlooking the long line of Revolution Kites as though it was going to devour them.
By this time the crowds had grown and there was a constant flow of people on the beach. The vendor's area was busy with onlookers sipping on smoothies and enjoying the variety of great foods and items being sold.
As the winds were still on the lighter the drake hotel chicago side, the show kites were keeping everyone on the show kite field working hard, and they managed to put on a solid show.  Demos on the sport kite field were back dropped the drake hotel chicago all day by a variety of beautiful kites including the new bol built by Martin Blaise and owned by Ray and Donna Hertz.
Demos by Connor Doran, Team REVOL (Takako and John Barresi), Willow Robin, Team Island Quad and others continued throughout the afternoon.  There were mumblings of full parking lots, and cars lining the highways, all good news when you think back to the Jack's Brownlee's vision.
After winding up lines and packing away kites for the day, the Chamber of Commerce rolled out a great dinner for all the fliers, volunteers and vendors at the local church.  There was talk about what to fly tomorrow, and new routines in the making.  Lots of satisfied smiles and some hopeful for a bit more wind tomorrow.
Sunday morning activities began at 5 am once again.  Jack had expressed his love of the infamous giant octopus kites (Gomberg Kites) and Team Suspended Animation members (Ray and Donna Hertz, Gary and Mary Lee, Barry and Susan Tislow, Pete and Nadine Zweifel )  met up with Dale Ray, Phil and Barbara Burk to plan out the best show they could. The wind was already humming along nicely at about 7 miles per hour from the north by 9 am.  The cars began lining every available curb in Rockaway early and soon there was not much sand in between the beach chairs and blankets.
Phil and Barbara Burk were setting up stacks of Trlby Kites and getting tails untangled and ready.  Moving them through the Revolution fields was an adventure but it was well worth getting them onto the main field to do a beautiful pairs routine that got the crowd sky gawking.  The large show kites painted the backdrop like a Broadway show which  made everything that much better.  Deb Cooley and Diane Weber built over 200 kites with up and coming kite fliers of all ages.  Spence Watson, Connor Doran, Rum Buddies ( Bazzer Poulter and Steve de Rooy) , and many more kept things rolling in the demo field.
One great thing about this festival I have not mentioned is the willingness the drake hotel chicago for people to cut loose and have a good time.  It seems to make people a bit braver, a bit more willing to put themselves out there. People that fly all the time, but might not have a set routine or fly on a team are encouraged to give a demo a go.  Rockaway has this family feel to it, not only for the visitors, but for the fliers as well.  So much so that new teams and new pairs were coming out to demo for the first time.  Lisa Root has flown and competed for years and jumped in the game to do her first quad line demo. Even Bob Wendt, our announcer got into the action.  Though he is fearless on the microphone, often playing a bit of fun havoc with the fliers, he is not fearless on the demo field.  He is however a great sport and jumped out there with an extra vent Revolution kite which he had never flown before.  The fliers loved it, and the crowds loved the fact they got to be a part of Bob's maiden voyage.
As the day was coming to a close, there was chatter the drake hotel chicago amongst the fliers about the feel of the festival.   Someone was overheard saying *Rockaway is like a mini WSIKF!*(Washington State International Kite Festival).  Hand shakes and hugs of congratulations on a great show were shared amongst the drake hotel chicago fliers and volunteers and onlookers…and   Jack was looking pretty happy, standing up at the sound tent smiling.
Oh, the long colored spinners and tubes flew so high, along side the sleds, like dragons AliVe ~ with long tails looking down on the beautiful the drake hotel chicago bols and the colors were festive like DISNEY meets the OCEAN Yes, a rainbow of shades that were JUST- THAT- BOLD!
Adding color on color flew stacks of trilbys, their tales leaving trails like sparklers at night, their diamond shapes soaring from ground to great heights. And once again the crowd was amazed by the sight of a magical stack of heart felt diamond kites.
On the side and behind, flipping their kites GOOD, were the stunt fliers who tricked their two lined kites ~ like not many could. Of course we heard the, add some tail!. But they were flying~ flat controlled spins~ No, it wasn t just flail! Oh, and each SNaP turn to the music was Hit ON The Nail!
Commanding the sky, doing the Kaleidoscope twist, were the Revolution Kites like a first loves kiss. Following the drake hotel chicago in formations, skating the drake hotel chicago on the air, making t