Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/144909
There's a flash of lightning. My new German acquaintance decides it'll soon be time to bring down the kites. But first, he'll let his giant frogs, alligator and lizard frolic in the wind a little longer. I decide to head back to town, find dinner and get some rest. WINDSCAPE IS A BIG DEAL ON THE KITE CIRCUIT for regular fliers. "We are the largest festival in Western Canada," Windscape coordinator Shann Gowan tells me when I reach her after the rush of the two-day festival. "There is a large one in Dieppe [New Brunswick] every second year, a five-day event with fliers from around the world. There are a few large festivals in the U.S. and many more larger festivals in Europe and Asia." Since becoming an annual event in 2005, the Swift Current festival has grown steadily. More than 6,000 people are here along with me, a 50 per cent increase over 2010. Almost half the attendees are from outside the area. "People come from as far away as Poland, Switzerland, Holland and many locations in Canada and the U.S.A.," Gowan says. "We have over 50 celebrity fliers from France, Germany, the U.S.A. and Canada." That's a tremendous achievement for an Fliers from around the world prepare their kites for launch, including (left) Bernhard Dingwerth and Andreas Napravnik of Germany. event that began quietly in 1998 when the Art Gallery of Swift Current hosted an exhibition of art by Canadian kite builders. "As part of the exhibition, we invited fliers to Swift Current and hosted a kite festival," Gowan says. "We did not do it again until 2005 when I began organizing it to complement my music festival, which had been running since 2003." WESTWORLD p14-19_Getaways_OutAbout.indd 17 >> S U M M E R 2 0 1 2 17 4/13/12 11:49:52 AM