The second annual Windfest at Woodbine Beach provided kite-flying enthusiasts and novices alike the opportunity to "decorate the sky."
Shortly after noon Saturday, a penguin took flight above Woodbine Beach at Ashbridges Bay. A chicken, an owl and a cherub later joined it up in the air.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to decorate a part of the sky,” said Gary Mark, pulling the strings on his inflatable cherub kite at Windfest, Toronto’s second annual waterfront kite festival.
Mark, a member of the Toronto Kite Fliers, was reluctant to divulge the exact number of kites in his collection, though he estimates it’s at least 1,000. Aside from the massive cherub, other parts his collection that soared above the beach included two octopi and an owl.
Windfest brought out many families and novices, who built and coloured their own kites at the Make Your Own Kite station. But it also attracted a number of aficionados and associations such as the Toronto Kite Fliers, Fédération Québecoise du Cerf-Volant, and New York Kite Enthusiasts.
Jacques Letourneau of Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Quebec brought along one of his hand-painted kites depicting autumn. The kite is part of his four-seasons collection.
From Detroit, Michigan, the Windjammers International Kite Team performed aerobatic feats choreographed to everything from Black Eyed Peas songs to classical melodies. The stunt kite team has been airborne since 1983 and performs in kite festivals across North American and as far away as France.
George Wright, one of the members of the six-person team, listed off some of the moves in the Windjammers’ “libarary of manoeuvres”: the big loop, the fountain, corner burst, new burst, brackets.
The dual-line stunt kites have tails that stretch from 30 to 35 feet. The red white and blue American flag stack has 13 kites. The red and white Canadian flag stack is made up of 12 kites and is often propelled by the team’s sole Canadian, Montreal-based Jean Lamoreaux.
Wright said the day’s conditions were perfect, an improvement over the first Windfest’s rainy run last fall.
Aside from the kites, Windfest also had representatives on hand from the renewable energy sector, such as the Canadian Wind Energy Association.
If you missed Windfest but still want to go fly a kite, prime spots in Toronto include Downsview Park, the St. Clair Reservoir and Sunnyside Beach.
