April is National Kite Month

You may ask yourself, says who… Well, the American Kiteflyers Association and the Kite Trade Association International have declared that March 29th until April 30th is National Kite Month. The National Kite Month activities were started a few years ago to give our members and others a chance to celebrate the sky. Many parts of the country are still in the middle of winter in March so to give us all the opportunity for clear sky’s and generally a possibility of a great Month to be outside April became our month. Forget about the showers its kite flying time. Besides the enjoyment of flying kites this year we are sending National Kite Month Logo Pins out to all of our helpers that register and event or submit a Proclamation.

Information on how to take part in the celebration can be found at the Nationalkitemonth.org website. Besides compiling a list of events around the world the site also offers information on how to get involved on a local level. You can start simple with a few kites hanging in your local town or school library and possibly even a kite safety display posted in a prominent place.  I have enjoyed walking into the library and asking if I can hang up one of our posters and a few kites to brighten up the place and to make the public aware of the kite celebration. The normal answer starts off with a why not and after you get a few kites hung they start asking if you have more that you can display. Most of my displays end up spending the summer putting smiles on the faces of the patrons as they look up to find a vast array of colorful kites. I have found that when you return to take them down the library staff is less than willing to part with them. You can find several kite safety booklets available for download on the AKA website and if you add a few pictures it makes a quick and easy safety display. Pictures can be from your personal collection or downloaded from sites such as Webshots.com/user/aboutkites where I have photos from numerous events.

You can also assist your local library or school or youth group with a kitemaking workshop. It’s easy to build a kite out of materials that can be acquired at minimal cost. You can also purchase kits with all of the supplies needed to conduct your workshop. The NKM site has all kinds of resources from kite plans and kits to information on how to include kites in math, science and history classes. Your local kite shop or the Drachen.org website can also provide information on kitemaking kits. Depending on the age of the kite makers you can make and fly all kinds of kites. The big payoff is watching the kids decorate their kite and then smile with pride as their creation takes to the sky.

You can also register your club fun fly or other activities that take place during the celebration. Don’t forget to put up a few signs to let people know that your part of an international group of adults that enjoy flying kites. Most people have the impressions that kites are either the wooden stick and newspaper creations of their youth or the plastic discount store kites that you see kids playing with in the parks. The best way to grow your local club is to fly where people can see you and then they will be amazed at what modern technology has done to improve the way kites fly. Don’t be surprised if they stop to ask how you control the dual and quad line kites. Of course that’s a great opportunity to have one of your sturdier kites available for a quick lesson. Most of us started off just looking and then flying someone else’s kite for a few min. Now we have our own bag full of kites. It’s also a good opportunity to have a few AKA membership forms available and you can ask them to fill it out on the spot and then send it in for them.

The site also has information on how to move up from a simple fun fly to a more structured event. The kite Festival Organizers Manual is available for download and gives you lots of information that will help you to organize your activity. You can also consider teaming up with other groups to promote kiting. If your city has a family day at the park or other event you can offer to add to the festive nature of the event by flying dual line demos or just putting up some single line kites. The main thing that you are looking for is being able to introduce modern kiting to the general public that may not be aware of what’s available today.
                                                                     
To assist in promoting kiting in your community we are conducting a Proclamation contest. The site has a sample Proclamation and a cover letter that can be used to request a proclamation from your local Government to declare April as National Kite month in your area. The proclamation can be mailed to you or presented as part of the town council meeting and you can have a photo taken for the local paper. A photo opportunity will give you another opportunity to advertise Kiting in your community. The NKM Committee is making requests on the state level with the assistance of local members to receive a Proclamation from each states Governor. The committee submits the paperwork and then when you receive the Proclamation you can use it in your library display or to promote your local event. You can enter into the contest by providing a copy to the committee. There is no limit as to the number of local proclamations and events that you can submit. A drawing will be held at the national convention from all of the Proclamations that were received to determine who wins the Prizes.

When you register an event you will receive a limited edition National Kite Month Logo Pin and also be eligible for a weekly drawing of prizes provided from our sponsors.  This year Go Fly A Kite will be providing an assortment of kites and Into The Wind will be providing a kite workshop in a box to weekly winners stating in March. The earlier you register your event the more chances you have to win. NewTech Kites will also be awarding prizes to the overall winners in several Categories at the end of the Month. The winners will be determined by the most active individual, club and region during the month. This year we have several styles of Logo pins to identify participation in several areas. General events, Workshops, Proclamations and events conducted by someone under 18 years of age will be recognized. A special pin will also be awarded for participants who register more than 5 events. The number of pins is limited so be sure to register your event early while the supply lasts.

If you have any questions please contact us thru the link on the NKM website or at admin@nationalkitemonth.org or Proclamations@nationalkitemonth.org.

     Best winds, and good luck!

Rick Hawkins