Grand Haven
Surprise
|
Grand Haven Surprise |
|
|
The projections for Grand Haven were not encouraging. Forecasts for this annual event at the edge of Lake Michigan projected winds over thirty and plenty of rain. But the kites were packed and the air tickets paid for. So I went anyway. And I’m sure glad I did.
On Friday, the flying was nearly perfect. On Saturday, we started with sunshine and 18, which dropped to nothing in the mid-afternoon, turned 180, and then climbed again to 12. The change gave us just enough time for a sunny nap before we reset anchors and relaunched. Compared to what we were expecting, it was an excellent surprise! 
Grand Haven continues to be the complete kite festival. There is an excellent indoor fly Friday night, a large demo field, larger show kite field, plenty of open space, and a competition for fighters. Our hosts, the Mackinaw Kite Company set up a huge retail tent on the beach, and for three days, have the largest kite store in the country. 
The main field featured ballet performances by Chicago Fire, IQuad, the Windjammers, Lee Sedgewick, and Sam Ritter. In the show field, Al Sparling, Darryl Waters, and I kept big ones in the air. Fred Cody stopped by to try out his ... Cody Kite. 
Concerns about bad weather kept the crowds and attendance at a minimum this year. Most of the single line kites in the air had a Gomberg label on them. |
|
|
Something new I showcased was a simple idea to attach additional Giant Streamers under a Sutton. Each streamer has a leading edge that can fold back to insert a stiffener or rod. By attaching two bridles, you can fly a second streamer parallel to the first one. The result is a substantially larger show. |
|
Sunday the winds kicked up to 30 and we packed the kites away early. No sense blowing seams when no one was there to watch and we had another show scheduled three days later in Wildwood. See you there!! |
|
Peter Lynn Mini Crabs: I’ve just received a shipment of smaller Crab Kites from New Zealand. These are great looking inflatables and with a moderate pull for a smaller kite. Each one is about 8 feet across. The shipment I have are blue. And I don’t expect to get more soon, so grab one up if you like them!! The exchange rate with New Zealand (and everywhere else) is lousy right now. But we can put a Crab on your line for $450. |
|
Back to the Update Index
Back to Gomberg Kite Productions International
Email: Info@GombergKites.com
Place an Order.
