Kites flown by Alaskiters rise into the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kites flown by Alaskiters rise into the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Sun, wind, friends and kites

Kiters both experienced and novice gather for Kenai festival

Over Kenai’s Millennium Square on Saturday, dozens of kites both large and small rose into sunny skies as part of the annual Kenai Kite Festival.

The field closest to Bridge Access Road was filled with dozens of children shortly after noon. They experimented with lifting their kites up in the wind both while standing stationary and while racing ahead and trailing their kites behind.

Many of the children had arrived for the festival without kites, Kenai’s Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Best said. Walmart donated around 200 kites to attendees; an initial offering of 160 was entirely expended and a second batch was brought in later during the event.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Further kites were constructed earlier the same week at events held by the Kenai Community Library and the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Kenai Peninsula. Some kites were also donated by the Salvation Army.

On the square’s other field, dozens of large, spectacular kites rose and fell with the wind. Among them were large structures that were made up of hundreds of square feet of material, recognizable shapes like an astronaut and a whale, and more nimble fliers with long tails that moved deftly through the sky.

These kites were operated by the Alaskiters, who Best referred to as “professional kiters.”

Tim Tullis said the Alaskiters began as a small club of passionate fliers who wanted to keep in touch. Now, their Facebook page has roughly 2,000 followers and they were recently recognized as the 2023 Kite Club of the Year by the American Kitefliers Association.

A big part of their success, Tullis said, comes from their efforts to share their passion — efforts like the Kenai Kite Festival.

On Saturday, Tullis said he and the other Alaskiters were enjoying good weather and “bringing in a new generation of kiters.” He and other kiters said that kiting is a pastime they value because of its tranquility.

“I find it meditative,” he said. “It’s like I’m watching a fire, just flickering back and forth.”

Suzanne Taylor, another Alaskiter, echoed that thought. The festival, she said, brought “sun and wind and friends and kites — friends old and new.”

Kite flying, she said, demands skill. In the act of managing a kite — on Saturday she was flying a smaller kite with tails that stretch around 50 feet in its wake — she finds relaxation.

“I like the way the light catches it,” she said. “I like colorful kites that catch the eye — the tails are so much fun, because of the way they move in the wind.”

At the festival, Taylor said that people enjoy seeing the kites, they ask questions, and they tap into some childlike wonder — though kite-flying isn’t just for kids. Kite flying is something that anyone can do, without the need to devote a significant part of their time to learning.

“I’ve got a job,” she said. “When I’m done, I can take a little bit of time and just go out and enjoy the outdoors and the sunshine.”

Kiting began for Tullis with a dime store kite he picked up at 6 years old. In the early 2000s, he picked it back up — “that was about $30,000 ago.”

“The wind’s free,” he said. “Nothing else is. But it’s a great way to relax, even though its a lot of work.”

Tullis said he’s been proud to see the festival in Kenai grow each year, from a short first session on North Kenai Beach, moving later to Millennium Square in 2021. It’s only grown each year since.

Tullis said that’s testament to the value and the nature of kite flying.

“I urge everybody to go out and fly a kite,” he said.

Best said the Kite Festival is an exciting summer offering in part because it’s a very low stress summer event, removed from the hustle and bustle that defines lots of other weekend programming on the peninsula.

“Come fly a kite,” he said. “I haven’t seen a single kid look at a screen. They’re just outside, running around on a sunny day in Kenai.”

Other supporters of the event, Best said, included Main Street Tap & Grill, who donated lodging for the Alaskiters, and both Spenard Builders Supply and The Home Depot, who donated material to the kite-building events.

For more information about the festival and upcoming events, find “City of Kenai Parks & Recreation” on Facebook. For more information about the kiters, including photos and video of the event, find “Alaskiters.”

Reach reporter Jake Dye at peninsulaclarion.com.

Kites flown by Alaskiters rise into the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kites flown by Alaskiters rise into the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Suzanne Taylor directs a kite flying in the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Suzanne Taylor directs a kite flying in the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kites flown by Alaskiters rise into the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kites flown by Alaskiters rise into the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Nathan Nelson directs a kite flying dozens of feet up in the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Nathan Nelson directs a kite flying dozens of feet up in the sky above Millennium Square in Kenai, Alaska, during the Kenai Kite Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

More in News

University of Alaska President Pat Pitney speaks during a meeting of the UA Board of Regents at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Pitney: UA, KPC seeing momentum, attendance growth

The university president described KPC as “a leader of the pack” in enrollment growth at the university

University of Alaska Board of Regents Chair Ralph Seekins speaks during a meeting at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Where does this end?’: University of Alaska to strip diversity and inclusivity language from programs, policies

The board was clear during the meeting that they were responding to pressure from the federal government.

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich holds a telephone town hall on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (Screenshot from the Facebook page of U.S. Rep. Nick Begich)
Murkowski, Begich host telephone town halls to address constituent concerns

Both events were inaccessible to some, who grew frustrated at technical problems

Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, speaks on the House floor on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Education funding bill unexpectedly advances again, nears House floor vote amid affordability concerns

HB 69 clears Finance Committee at first hearing as minority says discussions there are not worthwhile.

The front of the Kenai Police Department as seen on Dec. 10, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai accepts federal grant for police vests

The funds entirely cover the purchase of three ballistic vests this fiscal year.

Soldotna High School student Ethan Anding asks a question during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
District discusses $17M deficit at community meeting

More than 100 people gathered in the KCHS auditorium.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Man found dead near Kasilof roadway on Tuesday

He was found off Pollard Loop Road near Reindeer Lane in the Kasilof area.

Fire Marshal Jeremy Hamilton gives a tour to students during Job Shadow Day at Kenai Fire Department in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Roddy Craig/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai students try on careers for Job Shadow Day

Roughly 100 students from Kenai Central High School scattered to more than 30 businesses to get a feel for the workforce.

A 2015 Ford Explorer that was stolen from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce before crashing into a tree near Wells Fargo Bank is loaded onto a tow truck in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Car stolen, crashed in Kenai

The car was reportedly taken from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

Most Read