Go Fly a Kite, 2012

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Yesterday was the Annual Kite Festival.  We missed it last year so we were anxious to go this year.  The Kite festival is held in Canehill, Arkansas which is literally a spot on the highway where you can see one City Limit sign from the other.  The population is only a couple hundred.  You enter the Kite Festival through a cattle gate, cross over a low water bridge and go up a very steep and curvy one lane dirt road path.  The hill is so crooked and dangerous that one car can barely squeeze up there.  In fact, there is someone at the bottom of the hill with walkie talkies saying, "Comin' up" to someone up at the top, so they hold the people that are "comin' down".  It's all very technical.  :) When you do get to the top of the hill it is a huge wide open meadow perfect for kite flying.  Usually it isn't windy on the ground, but the kites take right off and fly perfectly.  It isn't unusual to see people lying in the field flying a kite or sitting in a chair flying a kite. 

It costs $1.00 for kids to fly (and the Bean is still considered a kid at 16!) and $2.00 for adults to fly.  I always pay since it is such a fun day at such a cheap price, but I don't always fly a kite.  They also have raffles for fancy big kites - one ticket per person at 50¢ each.  

Two years ago, we won the kite The Bean is attempting to fly in this photo.

It's a big parrot with beautiful colors.  He is very careful with it and never wants to lose it or get it stuck in a tree. 

 The meadow is wide open with trees only way off in the distance.  There is one big Bois D'arc tree off to the side with lots of stickery prickly branches.  You really wouldn't want to get your nice fancy kite (or any other kite for that matter) in there.  No, you really wouldn't. 

Oh no!  Not the tree!  He was flying the kite up high and fine with it and I went to the car for my chair.  When I looked back - whack - it was stuck in the tree.  And, he was not happy.  Not happy at all.

He tugged and he pulled.  He pulled and he tugged.  Three onlookers plus me got under that stickery prickley tree and shook the bejeezus out of it.  I tried to offer advice, but he would have none of it.  He was bound and determined to get it out alone.  Finally, one of the ladies directing cars came along with her beanpole of a  tomboy daughter and told her to "Climb up and get it."  And, so she did.  She climbed up the center of the tree, knew right where to step to avoid the brambles and tugged that kite right out of there.  I was so thankful she got it out because I know without a shadow of a doubt we would still be up there trying to get it out.  I tipped her and she just beamed.  

 As we were flying kites, a couple with their three year old grandson stopped by to visit.  They loved the festival, where ti was and the whole idea of it.  They wondered why it wasn't more advertised, in the paper, on TV, on the radio, etc. "Everyone should know about this!" she said.  Well, the truth is, is everyone knew about it and everyone came, it would be no fun at all.  it's the small town atmosphere of it all that is fun.  No crowds, no confusion.  Just a bunch of people on top of a hill flying kites.  Simple.

 We ended up packing up the parrot after that near mishap and using the regular diamond kite I had bought.  It went straight up and stayed up for a long time without any effort.  I was sitting in my chair while this photo was taken.  Not long after that, my phone rang.  It was the director of the Kite Festival telling me that we had won the Grand Prize.  Yea!

We went to pick up our prize and I left my Mom in charge of flying the kite.  

She kept it really high in the air the whole time.  But when we came back with our new kite, she got distracted and it came crashing to the ground with a loud KERPLUNK.  She said, "Good thing I wasn't driving!" Yep.

The new kite is great - a super fancy one with lots of bells and whistles.  I didn't think it would fly, but it went up with ease and stayed up the rest of the day.

We love all of our small town activities.  There's just something about the laid back fun that speaks to us.  It's not about money or crowds.  Just fun.

Do you have any small town activities you look forward to each year?