Paint The Sky
BY Richard Leder
On Saturday and Sunday November 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the sky at the north end of Wrightsville Beach will once more be filled with color and life as the third annual Cape Fear Kite Festival takes flight. More than 100 kite fliers from all over the United States are expected to gather on the sand by Shell Island Resort and wow the crowd with all kinds of kites including sport kites (those dual-line dive bombers also known as stunt kites) small kites and everyones favorite: the big kites. The Wilmington Childrens Museum will be on hand with a tent for kids kite-making and there will be stunt kite demos and lessons all day. Best of all its on the beach. Everyone is welcome so grab your gear and plan on spending the day. Started by Wilmingtons Mike Agner in 2006 the Cape Fear Kite Festival is already one of the most popular kite festivals though not anywhere near the largest. In Europe and Asia kite flying is a mega event. In France for instance the famous Dieppe International Kite Festival draws a crowd of 500 000 over a 10-day to two-week time frame. What is it that turns people on? Its the big kites of course. “The fact that something that big is up in the sky ” says Agner “it gets your mind off everything else.” These kites arent just big theyre REALLY BIG. Agners giant manta ray kite is 40 feet wide and 100 feet long. The Wrightsville Beach sky will be filled with kites like this giant colorful mind-blowing fliers. “Its almost like artwork ” says Agner. “Its like painting the sky with kites.”