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By Barbara Harris, Master Gardener
Kites will be flying again this year in the UGA Research and Education Garden on Sunday, March 13th from 1 to 4 p.m. Kite flying is an annual event at the Garden, where there are wide open spaces and lots of wind. All that is required is either a homemade or store-bought kite.
This year we have special kite flying demonstrations given by stunt kite flyer Gary Crenshaw and stunt kite instructor Kenny Lamarca. The Suburban Atlanta Kite Enthusiasts (SAKE) will also being doing demonstrations and teaching the public about kite safety.
Crenshaw has flown stunt kites since the mid-eighties, and he says he personally flies a large range of kites, from the “cheapest stuff from the local stores up to and including several-hundred dollar kites that I use an electric winch to reel in, some even with lights for night flying,” said Crenshaw. He has even designed several of his own kites, called “single line,” which fly without the need for a tail.
Crenshaw encourages others to try kite flying because, as he says, “kite flying is probably the least expensive sport a person can get involved with because after the initial purchase of the kite everything else is easy because the wind is free.” Then he adds, “Controlling a kite at 80 MPH through the sky turning, diving and performing aerial stunts can become very addictive.”
Crenshaw mentions that there are numerous kite festivals held around the coast of Georgia and Florida that have contests and demonstrations of all kinds. “Some single line kites use 500 pound test line to hold them and some of the stunt kites can pick a two hundred pound person from the ground very easily,” he said.
Hopefully no one will get carried away at the UGA Research Gardens. Anyone can be included in the kite flying contest at 2:30, but kites must be in the air in order to be judged. The categories are (for both professional and amateur) the biggest kite, most unusual kite, highest flying kite, most colorful kite and best homemade kite. There is also an area where the smaller children can decorate their own kites. Should it rain on March 13, the event will be rescheduled for Sunday, March 20th.
The GRIP 
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