Naperville launches kites at festival
Kite flying can be a solitary pursuit — all you need is one person, a kite and a good breeze.
That’s not how it’s done at Frontier Kite Fly Festival.
At the Naperville event, precision kite teams demonstrate their flying skills, pros show off with special stunt kites and members of a national kite enthusiasts club share tips and tricks.
And all the while, families fill the sky with kites.
The fifth annual festival will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at the Frontier Sports Complex, 3380 Cedar Glade Drive, Naperville. Organizers say nearly 1,000 people visited the festival last year to watch the demonstrations and fly their kites.
The Frontier Kite Fly Festival draws casual fans and eager hobbyists, who bring kites in a rainbow of colors as well as an array of shapes and sizes. One monstrous kite flown at last year’s festival was an octopus as big as a school bus, said Fred Gusel, Naperville Park District’s superintendent of recreation.
Visitors will be able to observe a show of experts demonstrating formations of figure eights, squares, circles and much more with large and elaborate kites.
You may choose to fly your own kite, or learn some of these tricks in a lesson from a professional, all for free.
Kite fliers from all over the Chicago area, and even from out of state, will attend the festival, Gusel said.
Paul Krekel has come from Decatur for the last five years to participate in the festival. He flies a dual-line kite and small show kites.
“My dad and I used to fly kites when I was little,” Krekel said. “Then I went to a festival and got hooked again.”
Krekel, who recently participated in a festival in Chicago, as well as several in Decatur, said he loves to fly kites because it is relaxing and he enjoys working with people.
David Zavell owns Chicago Kite, a store at 5445 N. Harlem, near O’Hare International Airport. Zavell and a crew from the store will work with festival-goers and supply many of the kites featured at the event. They’ll bring single-line kites as well as two- and four-line kites, large show kites and remote control sports kites from the store, he said.
Representatives from Chicago Kite, 180 GO! kite performance team and the Illinois Kite Enthusiasts Club participate every year.
IKE draws members from all over the country, not just Illinois, who promote their knowledge, experience and excitement for kite flying.
Those who prefer to watch the festivities won’t be disappointed. 180 GO!, a team of IKE members flying quad-line stunt kites, will perform aerial maneuvers and formations choreographed to music.
The Naperville Park District’s Concert Dance Ensemble will perform, as will musicians David Byron and Andrew Huber.
Families can launch their kites in a designated area, and children can buy a $5 pass for unlimited turns in inflatables.
If you go
What: Frontier Kite Fly Festival
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 5
Where: Frontier Sports Complex, 3380 Cedar Glade Drive, Naperville
Cost: Free
Info: napervilleparks.org