NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Vancouver, WA, United States, 04/25/2007 - Kite fliers are coming from Southern Oregon, Washington State, and British Columbia to join fliers from Portland and Vancouver to fill the sky with kites.



For the first time in 25 years, Portland will host a major Kite Festival in the metropolitan area. Events will include children’s Make-A-Kite opportunities followed by a children’s fun-fly, airborne displays of large or unusual kites, Sport Kite demonstrations, two-line and four-line Sport Kite Competitions, and people can watch Indoor Kite-Flying Competitions on Saturday evening. There will certainly be plenty of chances to learn to fly kites and to fly your own kites. Children and adults of all ages are encouraged to join in the festive atmosphere, build and fly kites, and enjoy playing out in the sun and wind at Delta Park. And food and beverages vendors will be on hand to keep you fed and energized.This Kite Festival in Portland is centered around the Northwest Sport Kite Championships (NWSKC), a competitive event sanctioned by the American Kitefliers Association and the put on by the Northwest Sport Kite League. The NWSKC has run for more than 25 years in Long Beach, WA but has been relocated to the Portland area due to the efforts of a new sponsor – The Kite Shoppe in Vancouver, WA. Some of the expected participants include: John Barresi from Portland who is several times National Champion in a variety of kiting disciplines; Lam Hoac, most recently of Toronto, Ontario who is also several times a National Champion including kite-building as well as flying; and various members of the World Champion, Team Cutting Edge are expected. In addition, an international kite-flying team specializing in four-line kites, iQuad, is expected to demonstrate their flying artistry and aerial delights several times during the weekend, right along with all the other kiting demonstrations.To get to the festival, take I-5 toward Portland International Raceway (PIR) and follow the signs to PIR. The Festival begins around 9:00 am on Saturday, May 5th and will run until roughly 6:00 pm, when most of the participants will go eat, to re-assemble again at 7:30 pm for the evening’s Indoor Competition at the Washington School for the Deaf at the corner of SE Grand and Evergreen over in Vancouver (Maps and directions will be available at the PIR flying field). Sunday’s events will also begin at about 9:00 am, and will dwindle quickly after about 3:00 pm so those from other areas can reach home at a reasonable hour.The American Kitefliers Association is an international organization supporting kite flying Worldwide, and sanctions these Festivals and Competitions. The Northwest Sport Kite League is a regional “competition league” to further and support Sport Kite flying and competitions in the Pacific Northwest. The Kite Shoppe is a brck-and-mortar kite shop in Vancouver, WA selling and servicing high-end sport kites and other kiting paraphernalia, and has been in business in the Vancouver area for over 5 years.