At the edge of the flying field, the Canadian plains stretch out uninterrupted for as far as the eye can see. And when the winds come in, you definitely know you are kite flying. Check your anchors and hang on!! I’d been invited to the Windscape Kite Festival in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. For those of you not well versed in Canadian geography, think north of Great Falls, Montana.

Swift Current is a small community, but filled with warmth, enthusiasm, and hospitality. Fliers from throughout Western Canada drove in to help fill the gusty skies. A wealth of family activities kept the throngs of children busy. There were bol races, face painting, kite making, paper airplanes, and something called the mystery sand pile. A great program I’d never seen before was the Kite Celebrity Passport. Kids picked up a small pamphlet featuring pictures and a short bio on 24 guest kiters. They earned prizes for collecting autographs. It got the kids involved with the kiters, and meant I was constantly being stalked by short, sandy people painted to look like Spiderman or a Pirate.

Fliers tend to travel longer distances when there are fewer events so Windscape attracted participation from kiters across central Canada and the USA. Richard and Georgean Curran came from Washington State, Chris Dodson and Mike Gee drove up from North Dakota. Bud Taylor was on site from Alberta. Sharon Musto from Manitoba arrived with Alice and Don Glick from Alberta. And we enjoyed a good dinner with Andrei Chichak and his family from Alberta. Dave Tuttle, a local Swift Current kiter was great at getting us around and keeping us on schedule. This was also the fourth field I’ve shared with IQuad in the past month and we have three more dates in July.

Windscape was a kite festival and also a great music event. Concerts began at sundown each evening. Saturday we grooved to an 11-piece ensemble from Vancouver called Five Alarm Funk. So a big thank-you to Shann Gowan and all of our hosts in Saskatchewan for their fine Canadian hospitality. Check back next week for a report on the Lincoln City Summer Kite festival and news of what Susie was flying here while I was flying there.

Usually when people ask what I do for a living, I tell them I’m a professional kite flier. Friday I flew up to Canada for the Windscape Kite festival. At passport control in Vancouver, the officer had all the usual questions. “How long will you be in Canada?” “Four days.” “What are you doing here?” “I’ve been invited to a festival.” “What kind of festival?” “A kite festival.” “Are you a professional kiteflier then?” My mind flashed over the question. Search the bags for merchandize? Duties on the kites I was carrying? Import taxes?? Work visas? “A professional??”, I said. “You mean like getting paid to fly kites??” “Yeah”, she replied. “That sounds pretty crazy. Welcome to Canada. Have a nice visit!”.

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