The SaskPower Windscape Kite Festival wrapped up its 11th year over the weekend, attracting up to ten thousand people.
Each year, the festival keeps getting bigger and bigger, while international kite flyers spread the word about this gem on the prairies. Organizer Shann Gowan is pleased with the turn-out.
"We had a very, very busy day on Saturday, " said Gowan. "We had people from all over come to Swift Current and hang out with us for a whole day, it was great. We had a fellow from the Phillippines this year, which is probably the farthest we've had anybody come from before."
Don King is from Pleasant Hill, California, an avid kite fan who announced the festival proceedings. King says he's been coming to Windscape for the past seven years.
"This is a marvelous festival. There are kids and their families - it's all about community," said King said. "With kite flying, believe it or not, there's a huge emphasis on safety, safety of the flyers, safety of the spectators. And whenever you can find a field that is unobstructed as the field is here - you don't have power lines, you don't have buildings and things like that that it get in the way, and so it's a great opportunity for the flyers here."
King says the professional kite flying community is close-knit and that he often knows a third of the flyers at each festival he attends around the world.
"You meet kite artists and kite craftsmen, and you see competitive kite flyers all over the world and they tend to know all know each other. I think everywhere I go, I probably know a third of the people at every festival." he said.
Last year, Saskatchewan Tourism recognized Shann Gowan's efforts, awarding Windscape the Marquee Event of the Year.
Sat, May 18, 8:00 PM
Hospitality
Featured
