37th Kite Festival colors the Santa Barbara sky
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The 37th Kite Festival kicked off Sunday afternoon at Santa Barbara City College.
People of all ages and backgrounds flocked to this Santa Barbara tradition.
April is officially “Kite Month” in Santa Barbara.
The kite festival theme was “Colors” to celebrate the beauty and contribution of the diverse range of event-goers .
“Absolutely love all the colors. I think it draws so much attention to the area, to the art of the kites. All the kids, even the adults are running around smiling like we were five or ten years old again,” said Guidance Moon.
Sunday’s event featured a number of kite contests including “Most Beautiful”, “Highest Flying”, and “Most Unusual”.
This event proved that you are never too young or too old to fly a kite.
“Last time I flew a kite was probably when I was about 40 years old,” said Rick Gutierrez, who is now 75 years old.
“I came here because it reminds me of my childhood. You know, it's nostalgia actually,” said Raj Rawat.
The event was also a lesson in patience and perseverance.
“I think it’s just hard work so when it finally gets up there is exciting,” said Jaime Petrosian.
Whereas some saw kite flying as a challenge to be mastered, others saw it as a way to stay present.
“You're looking at the world and the sky and the clouds and feeling the air and the breeze and the weather and everything,” said British transplant Rick Davis.
“ You don't need buttons, you don't need a screen. This is it. The sky is the screen,” said Guidance Moon.
Kite flyers shared some insider tips and tricks.
“Stand on top of the hill and throw it up from there, because then you get at least a little extra leverage,” said Courtney Phillips Spoehr.
“You get to kind of loft the kite and then it'll catch it and then you can unravel the string and kind of just like let it happen,” said Gabby Welder.
This life long kite flyer says the secret is in the string.
“The sharper your string is, the better you are up there. And when it comes to the competition,” said Sudheer Boora.
He fondly described his first time flying a kite back in India saying, “When you are letting the kite go, it felt like as if I am flying.”
This feeling of freedom was a common theme at Sunday’s event.
“It is so much good energy out here. I feel just as free as the kites that are in the air today,” said Guidance Moon.
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