story and photos by Tara George

Go fly a kite!  That’s exactly what amateur and professional kite flyers did at the City of Thunder Bay’s annual Kite Festival.  On May 29th, the windy sky above Chippewa Park was littered with kites of all shapes and sizes.  Amongst the local’s kites were beautiful displays of flying art by the Kitchener-Waterloo Windclimbers, Toronto Kite Fliers, and the New York Kite Enthusiasts.  The beautiful weather drew a crowd that arrived to not only enjoy the kites, but also the Greatest Show on Earth (acrobats, jugglers, magicians, stilt walkers), activities in the Pavilion, and all that Chippewa Park has to offer.  It is interesting to note that Kite Festival was first held in 1981, and from 2003 to 2006 it was named in the ‘Top 100 Ontario Festivals’ list.