Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/144909
(left) Bernhard Dingwerth's giant frogs and alligator; (centre) Terence Côté shows his daughter's friend how to fly a kite; (bottom) Bellevue's Don Pell and his whimsical wind sculptures. Each year, more kite artists and performers show interest, Gowan says. "We started with about 20 celebrity fliers. Every year we try to make the event bigger and better – adding new components and improving the old ones. Our straw bale maze was added two years ago and we continue to expand on it each year. This year we added a splatter mural for the children." Although traction buggy riders have always attended, adds Gowan, the kite boarders were new in 2011. I SHOW UP EARLY ON SUNDAY morning determined to fly my own kite. On my way to the public flying fields, I'm distracted by the multi-line demonstrations. Though some 20 performances are held each day, I was so taken by the enormity and whimsy of the inflatable single-line kites on my first day that I barely noticed their multi-line counterparts. I've arrived just as the Rev Riders, a fourperson quad line kite demonstration and performance team based in New England, are ready to shine. Their four-string Revolution 18 W E S T W O R L D p14-19_Getaways_OutAbout.indd 18 >> kites loop and weave in the air, stop impossibly in mid-flight, then wheel and swoop in an aerial dance choreographed to music. Walking to the downwind edge of the public field, I dodge kites bobbing crazily all around me. The wind, even stronger than yesterday, spirals many of the kites into the ground in brutal nose-dives. Celebrity fliers rush over to show mothers, fathers and children how to trim their kites to keep them aloft. I pull my parafoil out of my pocket and keep it tightly folded as I attach the line. I unfurl the kite, letting the wind give it shape, carefully watching that the bridle lines don't entangle as the ripstop polyester sail crackles in the wind. Then, I hold out my hand, release the kite and loosen my grip on the reel. The kite soars upward as 150 metres of 50-pound test-braided polyester line whistles past my fingers. Within moments, the kite shrinks to a bright red speck against the clouds. I've often thought about dangling a camera from my kite, to get a bird's-eye view of the world. But standing there, gazing up the length of the string, feeling the rhythmic tug of the wind as the kite sways back and forth high above, it occurs to me that the magic of flying a kite comes from lifting your eyes away from the ground and up into the sky. It comes from letting your imagination soar up the string and into the clouds. It's the process of looking up from below – not the looking down from above – that makes kite flying so magical. Gazing around at the other fliers, I can tell from the awestruck looks on their faces that the kids in particular understand exactly what I mean. I watch my simple little kite for a long time, but the winds are rising ferociously, shaking the festival tents. Kites seem to be having a hard time staying aloft. More critically, I can see thunderheads rising up in every direction. It takes me nearly an hour to labouriously tug the kite closer and wind the string back onto the reel. As I stroll back through the Windscape fields, among the dancing and swaying kites, past the exhibits and tents, I feel as though I've captured and tucked a piece of the Swift Current wind into my pocket along with my tightly folded parafoil. I've unfurled my wings and will enjoy the last hours of this wonderful weekend with an eye on the sky and both feet on the ground. The Windscape Kite Festival runs June 23-24, 2012, and is free. i windscapekitefestival.ca rock before you fly If you arrive ahead of the Windscape Kite Festival, you can catch some big-name entertainment under the stars at the Long Day's Night Music Festival (June 21-24, 2012). The music festival shares the Southwest Hill site with the kite festival. Long Day's Night launched next door to the Art Gallery of Swift Current in 2003 as an extension of the Blenders Concert Series (which features well-known Canadian artists like Ron Sexsmith and Blackie & the Rodeo Kings in the gallery's Lyric Theatre). In 2004, the outdoor music festival moved to its hilltop site. This year's performers include Yukon Blonde ("alternately described as altcountry, pop and '60s retro rock" reads the festival website) and Vancouver-based Delhi 2 Dublin. Four-night festival passes available. i windscapekitefestival.ca/long-daysnight-music-festival, artgalleryofswiftcurrent.org WHERE TO STAY Swift Current has 15 hotels and motels, three bed-and-breakfasts and three campgrounds; book before you go. —D.N. i tourismswiftcurrent.ca SUMMER 2012 4/13/12 11:49:57 AM