Catch the kites Saturday

by Marianne Gasaway

Stacy Doughan thinks this might be the first time she has ever wished for cold weather.  And although she chuckles when she says it, she’s not kidding.  

The Chamber of Commerce is ready to host Clear Lake’s popular Color the Wind kite festival on Saturday.  All they need is for Mother Nature to cooperate for a few more days.

“So far the ice is good and we have a safety team that monitors it daily with criteria for human traffic, ATV and vehicle safety on the ice,” said Doughan, the Chamber’s executive director.  “All systems are go at this point.”

This will be the first year the Chamber has hosted the event.  They are taking the reins with the help of former festival organizers Larry and Kay Day, who established the festival in 2002.

According to Doughan, 38 kite flyers are committed to the event at the Sea Wall, including a couple from England

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who heard of the festival and reached out for more information.  Dave and Claire Hardwick, who are members of Midland Kite Fliers in the UK, are including the festival in the stops while in the United States. They told Chamber leaders they will be bringing with them a 115-foot white and purple octopus, a 65-foot octopus named “Beanie,” who will be wearing a wooly hat due to the cold, two 40-foot  octopus, a scuba man, and a flock of nine swallows.

Two teams of stunt kite performers will entertain during the day and kites will be sold in the Lakeview Room at the City Park Bandshell.  Kite flyers welcome questions and may even offer a few tips to those wanting to learn more about kite flying.  There’s something for everyone at the free event.

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New non-profit joins in the fun

If you’re planning to attend the Color the Wind kite festival Saturday (or even if you’re not), there’s a great chance to learn a little bit about the wind and kites from 9-11 a.m. Saturday at The Hub, 501 1st Ave. N.

Lorena Malecha is making the workshop the first event for the North Iowa Children’s

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Museum, established to support learning and exploration.  Malecha is president of the organization, which is a registered non-profit in the state of Iowa.  (The organization is currently pending tax exempt status). 

Malecha said the children’s museum has been a dream for many years, but really took flight when she and her husband moved to Clear Lake a few years ago.

“This is the most family-oriented place I have ever been and there’s always so much going on,” said the mother of two. 

Her vision for the museum is to create a 20,000 square foot destination with hands-on experiential exhibits, some with regional focus and others with rotating exhibits. 

With the Color the Wind festival happening Saturday, the Children’s Museum will use a wind tunnel to explore kite flying.  Kite making and a kite story time will also be part of the fun along with mini-donuts and cookies from Cookies Etc. 

There is no fee to attend, however donations are welcomed.  

Malecha said other events are being planned as the non-profit grows.

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