Jerry Cannon is Mr. Cool in his yellow suit and kite. He has won competitions indoor and outdoor.

Looking for a winter weather entertainment? The Windless Kite Festival is an indoor kite flying show. It’s individuals, duos and more choreographed air routines to music.

Dick Curran generally flies single line kites indoors. This winged box performs when he pulls it up and with graceful glides to the music.

Location

Long Beach School Gymnasium
Washington and 4th St South
Long Beach, WA 98631

Performance Times

Saturday January 16th
10am Demonstration Show
2pm Indoor Ballet Competition

Sunday January 17th
11am Indoor Hot Tricks & Performance Flying

The gym is open for participant practice, demonstrations, and indoor flying lessons Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 5pm except during Performance Times.

There’s always something to see.

Admission: Donation

Lee Sedgwick flys a YFO, a single line kite of his creation. Lee is well known for skiing on frozen Lake Erie on kite power.	John Barresi, a kite pilot of 20 years, specializes in quad line kites. He is an instructor and innovator with the iQuad Team.
Scott Davis is the creator and director of this festival. He is also the instigator of the Hot Trick Shoot Out.	Penny Lingenfelter produces Dr. Suess's Cat in the Hat using multiple flyers and folks from the audience. She also is known for her showstopper patriotic solos.

Other Kite Things to do that Weekend

• Take an indoor flying lesson
• Visit the Kite Museum and experience the thrill, art, science and world history of kiting plus make a kite.
• Take time to view indoor flying films.
• Join the jolly local and participant groups for the Italian Potluck, Raffle and Award Ceremony Evening. Admission is a dish to pass and something for the raffle.

Conor Doran, one of the new teenage winners, flys a Revolution.

Windless Kite Festival is a post from: World Kite Museum

Besides its outstanding kite collections, the Museum has extensive archival materials. The American Kite Association [AKA] has combined their archives with the World Kite Museum in Long Beach, Washington. An active oral history program exists on cassettes and videos.  Textbook companies and freelance writers are the biggest users.  Long Beach’s World Kite Museum is the definitive information source on kites internationally.

A Washington State vacation is incomplete without a visit to the Long Beach Peninsula, home of the Washington State International Kite Festival, and the World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame.  Located at 303 Sid Snyder Drive SW, Long Beach, Washington, WKM is the only Kite Museum in North and South America.

We look forward to seeing you in person. In the meanwhile, we hope you’ll enjoy perusing our site!

Welcome to the World Kite Museum! is a post from: World Kite Museum

The Museum, with the assistance of Frier’s granddaughter, Nancy Frier, has created the story of how this industry functioned and survived until 1989. It includes the dime store and variety store outlets, the shift from paper to plastic, the inclusion of what were called promotion kites, and other necessities to prosper.

The Business of Kites Features ALOX is a post from: World Kite Museum

Another part of the exhibit collects stories of visitors kite adventures Five unique Peninsula kite stories and a map so visitors can see where they took place is available to everyone.

Dime Store Signage

Dime Store Kites

More Dime Store Signage

Dime Store Kites is a post from: World Kite Museum

Eye Witness to Disaster and Triumph is a post from: World Kite Museum

Target Kite

Air Mail Kite

Barrage Kite

Antennae Lifter

Kites of World War II is a post from: World Kite Museum

This one time opportunity gives you a chance to see kite making using the bargello quilting technique for its design.  You can watch, listen and ask lots of questions.  The whole museum will be dedicated to kite making on these three days.

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John Freeman’s class has two remaining spots open; call now! 360-642-4020

This kite is a tribute to Margaret Greger, a greatly missed lovely lady, excellent kite builder, and author of the best books of kite building for beginners. From the first time I saw Margaret’s version of this kite I was in love.

This is a five foot tall Rokakku. You will build the kite in one of two versions, both the same in every way except for a half day more cutting and sewing in one of them. Your choice, of course, of colors and color layout. There will even be a nice bit left over that is almost a ready made banner to match the kite.

Lots of sewing, but sure–you can do it!

Below is picture of the kite, as well as a picture just for fun (photo by Steve Brown) of the banners Marzlie made from the scraps off the three prototype kites for the class.

There are two cost possibilities for this class. If you use your own fabric, the cost is $70. If you need fabric from instructor John Freeman, then the class costs $120.

Stay tuned for more information or call 360-642-4020 or email info@worldkitemuseum.com

President’s Day Weekend is a post from: World Kite Museum

The kites and culture of Malaysia and Singapore will be featured at this two-day event.  Besides displaying and making the kites of this region, there will be other cultural events.  Watch this page for more details as they develop.

Asian New Year is a post from: World Kite Museum

2-Line Kite Lessons on the Beach:
This year, each Saturday there will be someone on the beach, teaching two-line kite flying.

• Saturday, March 20, 2010, 1:00 – 3:30 pm – Sid Snyder Beach Approach
• Saturday, March 27, 2010, 1:00 – 3:30 pm – Sid Snyder Beach Approach
• Saturday, April 3, 2010, 1:00 – 3:30 pm – Sid Snyder Beach Approach
• Saturday, April 10, 2010, 1:00 – 3:30 pm – Sid Snyder Beach Approach

Bringing your own two-line kite is recommended. The class, which includes instructor presentation, individual coaching and practice time, lasts about an hour. Kites may be purchased at the Museum gift shop or from local kite shops.

Spring Fling at the Museum is a post from: World Kite Museum

Other countries on the kite tour include China, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Each country’s kites are made of different materials, have different decorations and are used and flown for different reasons.

Kites from Thailand: Dating from the 13th Century, kites were flown in this Buddhist country as a blessing by priests. Often they had reeds stretched across the back making a humming sound. Today kites are flown in tournaments at the beginning of the monsoon. It is a match between a large kite called a chula and several smaller kites named pakapaos. The two different kites try to pull the other to his side of the field. The game makes exciting sport for fliers and spectators.

Many Malaysian kites have upper wings like the chula of Thailand. Their kites differ however, because of the intricate jewel like decorations on them and the elaborate trailing tails. Many tales and legends about kite escapades are passed orally through generations. A more prosaic kite of Malaysia, made by young and old, is the layang-layang. It doesn’t need directions to make. Any square piece of paper and some supple sticks can turn into a kite.

Japanese Kites

Japanese Kites: When kites came to Japan from China in the 7th century, they were flown as part of religious ceremonies to scare the devil or evil spirits or to call the gods down the flying line. They also became associated with celebrations and holidays such as invocations for a rich harvest, congratulations for a first-born son.

The kite culture of Japan is vast and varied.

Japanese Kites

Chinese Exhibit

Three Headed Dragon

Chinese Kites: The first written accounts of kite flying in China were stories about using them in battle to measure distances and to frighten the enemy at night with noisemakers from the sky. Because of the availability of bamboo, paper and silk, the Han Dynasty allowed kites to become a universal folk art and made it possible for all people to enjoy kite flying. Today China is famous for six main kite regions. Each region uses a unique kite style, with over three hundred types of kites.

Indonesian Kites: Indonesia is another place where kites began very early in time. Their first kites were made from leaves. Leaf kites were used to get their fishing line farther out to sea. Kites were also used to catch large fruit bats.

Because of the strong winds around the Indonesian islands, very large kites were created out of the indigenous bamboo, cotton fabric and later nylon taffeta. Indonesian kites are mostly shaped like birds and animals.

Indonesian Frog

Indonesian Horse

The Korean Kite Story Exhibit “The Korean Kite Story”, a new exhibit at the Museum, includes replicas of the unique signal kites used by Admiral Yi Sun-sin in the 1590s war with Japan. The kite decoration is a code to direct the Army and Navy. Visitors can decode messages and send messages in kite code.

Other kites in the exhibit are decorated with both the folk and fine arts of Korea. The popular game of kite fighting and its amazing use of a spinning line winder is a third Korean category. A short video of the flying technique plays regularly.

A Kite Junket Through Southeast Asia is a post from: World Kite Museum