2008 Woodie Awards
Family Kite Festival to provide day of outdoor activity for Oxford
Katherine Kohls
Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Community
The Miami University and the Oxford communities will have an opportunity to do a little kite running this weekend, as the Oxford Community Park will host the Family Kite Festival.
Meant as a way to bring the communities together, the third annual festival will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 13.
Derek Greene, Oxford's special events coordinator, heard about the idea for a kite festival when he became coordinator in 2005. That year he made the department's idea a reality.
"(The Family Kite Festival) is a good time to come out, take your time, fly a kite and see what Oxford Community Park has to offer," Greene said.
Greene noted that the festival is open for anyone to attend. He said that in past years there have been many people from the Knolls of Oxford retirement community and several from Miami.
"It's a great free event," Greene said.
A new aspect to this year's Family Kite Festival is the chance to make a Beaufort scale. The Beaufort scale, which was invented in 1806 for use on a ship, measures wind by using visual cues, Greene said. Anyone who comes to the festival can make a scale.
Greene believes that this addition will be popular for those who attend the festival.
"Predicting how hard the wind is blowing is important to a kite enthusiast," he said.
Attendance increased from 2005-06, he said, but with Miami's Homecoming Weekend, Greene said he is hoping that people from the university will come out and see the festival.
"We hope it becomes more successful and we get more and more people out there," Greene said. "I hope a lot of people from Miami can come on out."
He also said there would be plenty of activities beyond kite flying. The festival will feature a kite workshop, at which festival goers could build a kite for $2. In addition, a craft station will be set up with supplies to make paper helicopters.
There are also many contests for those who attend, Greene said. These contests include the youngest to fly a kite, the oldest to fly a kite and "The Running of the Bowls," where participants see how far they can run with a kite's wind drag.
Meant as a way to bring the communities together, the third annual festival will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 13.
Derek Greene, Oxford's special events coordinator, heard about the idea for a kite festival when he became coordinator in 2005. That year he made the department's idea a reality.
"(The Family Kite Festival) is a good time to come out, take your time, fly a kite and see what Oxford Community Park has to offer," Greene said.
Greene noted that the festival is open for anyone to attend. He said that in past years there have been many people from the Knolls of Oxford retirement community and several from Miami.
"It's a great free event," Greene said.
A new aspect to this year's Family Kite Festival is the chance to make a Beaufort scale. The Beaufort scale, which was invented in 1806 for use on a ship, measures wind by using visual cues, Greene said. Anyone who comes to the festival can make a scale.
Greene believes that this addition will be popular for those who attend the festival.
"Predicting how hard the wind is blowing is important to a kite enthusiast," he said.
Attendance increased from 2005-06, he said, but with Miami's Homecoming Weekend, Greene said he is hoping that people from the university will come out and see the festival.
"We hope it becomes more successful and we get more and more people out there," Greene said. "I hope a lot of people from Miami can come on out."
He also said there would be plenty of activities beyond kite flying. The festival will feature a kite workshop, at which festival goers could build a kite for $2. In addition, a craft station will be set up with supplies to make paper helicopters.
There are also many contests for those who attend, Greene said. These contests include the youngest to fly a kite, the oldest to fly a kite and "The Running of the Bowls," where participants see how far they can run with a kite's wind drag.
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