If you were anywhere near Treasure Island Beach this weekend you most likely saw various objects undulating in the sky above the Bilmar Hotel - if your curiosity was piqued and you actually walked out onto the beach you were rewarded with the sight of dancing colored shapes and all manner of vibrantly colored critters in the sky. The 15th annual Treasure Island Kite Festival & Competition was held on Saturday and Sunday, there were flying and floating creations that varied in size from a small bird to a playful dog several times the size of a mini van. This was a family event for kids of all ages, as well as a very serious and precision competition for professional "flyers". Some of these kites are valued over $10,000.00, the competition kites are mostly custom engineered and hand built. The competition aspect of the festival was described to me as very much like Olympic ice skating, in that precise "technical" moves must be demonstrated, as well as a "freestyle" program set to music. The exact precision the flyers can achieve is amazing - we saw one flyer bring his kite to down to land, and hover, on the fingertip of a young boy - much to his delight! I spoke with Richard Mervine, a professional competition flyer with the Eastern Legion Sportskite Association, he said that the competition kites can, and often are, flown indoors, their design only requires 1 mph of "wind" to lift them and the average person can walk at 4 mph. The Festival also included a "candy drop" for the kids, a specially rigged kite carried a pouch filled with candy into the air above a group of children anxiously looking into the sky, then a release was pulled sending candy tumbling to the ground, which sent the kids scrambling to snatch it up squealing with delight. If you missed this Festival this year, you will want to be sure to bring a chair or a blanket next year, it`s a great way to spend the day on the beach. A few photos have been posted here - click on the thumbnail to enlarge. We will post MANY more photos on our website - http://www.starznbarz.com/events
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- The skyline over Treasure Island Beach
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- A large dog and cat frolic in the wind.
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- A stacked quad pro kite.
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- A 25 foot long spiraling cone floater.
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- The candy is dropped to a group of kids waiting below.
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- The candy scramble!
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- Batman & Robin fly over the Flag.
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- Leaping lizards! A flying pig!
