KiteFest 2009 </MCC HEAD>

Story last updated at 9:03 PM on Wednesday, June 3, 2009

KiteFest 2009

For three straight days last weekend, the skies over Mariner Park on the Homer Spit were decorated with the billowing, swooping motions of dozens of brightly colored kites, while on the beach below, kite-fliers of all ages enjoyed KiteFest 2009.

Organized locally by members of KiteSurf Alaska, the second annual three-day festival featured lessons in kite handling for novices, instruction in the fine art of "body dragging," a beach barbecue and a 4-mile kitesurfing race from the end of the Spit to Mariner Park.

On Sunday afternoon, as overcast skies and moderate winds created favorable conditions for kiting, the park brimmed with kites and curious, camera-toting onlookers. While some folks took lessons in how to handle the large, heavy kites, others attempted to use wind power to get going on the water. One guy, belted into a strange-looking miniature three-wheeled dune buggy, zoomed up and down the beach, his kite pulling him at breakneck speed.

Dogs, kids, tourists, beachwalkers and the hardy clan of hardcore kite-fliers all appeared to be having a good time, hoping the weekend -- and the wind -- would never end.

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