1. NWKA General Meeting and Workshop:
Sunday, April 3, 2005 - 1:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Humberstone Hall - 76 Main Street West - Port Colborne, ON
Our first event of the 2005 season will be our annual General Meeting and Kite Workshop held at the usual location, Humberstone Hall, 76 Main Street, Port Colborne, ON from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To get us in the mood for the kiting season we will present a slide show of the 2004 kiting season, complete with music. Don't be surprised to see yourself as part of the highlights of 2004!
Right after the slide show we will hold our usual short business meeting (approximately 30 minutes long) to verify plans for the 2005 kite season.
Then it will be on to our kite workshop run by NWKA's own Bob Luft, a very experienced kite builder. Bob is going to take us through the steps to build a "Kiskadee" kite. Bob has successfully built these kites for many years and has developed a 14" square version of the Kiskadee that he will share with us on April 3rd.
All materials will be provided by the club, so all you have to do is show up for a great time with all your kiting friends! We do need to know how many to prepare for so please advise us if you are coming by email at: info@windriders.niagara.com That way, we will be sure we have enough refreshments and kite building materials at hand.
Visitors from other clubs are welcome to attend. Price of admission for visitors is $5.00 (which will make you a member of the NWKA - you can't lose!).
2. Membership Dues for 2005:
The Board of Directors has again determined that the membership fees for 2005 will be:
a) Individual Membership: $ 5.00
b) Family Membership: $10.00
Dues are immediately payable to our Treasurer Derrick Jeanes. Derrick will be collecting fees and issuing membership cards at the Annual General Meeting/Workshop on April 3rd and at all of our club flying events.
3. NWKA Club Wearing Apparel:
It has been a number of years since we have had club gear to wear. The t-shirts with NWKA logo that we had in 1999 are now all sold out. From time to time we have talked about having some more up-to-date and dressier shirts if possible.
Well, we have secured an excellent embroidery company who will put our NWKA logo on dark blue golf shirts (with collars and knitted cuff short sleeves). The shirts are 60% cotton and 40% polyster for comfort and durability. We can do each shirt for the remarkable price of $23.00 + taxes. Sizes will include: S/M/L/XL/XXL in both Mens and Ladies fit. The XXL will cost $26.50. We will have a sample and a sizing chart on display at the April 3rd meeting and will take orders at that time.
Deposits will NOT be necessary as we will purchase the shirts out of club funds based on your order. You pay when the shirts are delivered. We hope to have them all ready for the April 2?th Club fly at Lakeview Park.
4. NWKA Flying Dates for 2005:
Our flying dates for 2005 are:
- Sunday, April 24, 2005 - First Fly of the season.
- Sunday, May 29, 2005
- Sunday, June 26, 2005
- 13th Annual Canal Days Kite Festival - Sunday, July 31, 2005
- Sunday, August 28, 2005
- Sunday, September 25, 2005
- Sunday, October 30, 2005 - Final Scheduled Fly of the season.
All of our events take place at Lakeview Park, Port Colborne, ON. A map showing the location and travel directions to our club flying site is found on the Niagara Windriders web site.
5. 13th Annual Canal Days Kite Festival:
Once again we will host our fun-filled and friendly Canal Days Kite Festival at Lakeview Park.
The dates for the event are:
- Saturday, July 30th: 6:30 p.m. field perimeter set up; 9:00 p.m. Night Fly (this year with generator powered spot lights).
- Sunday, July 31st: See our Canal Days schedule on our web site. All times are wind dependant and approximate.
The day's events end with our Free Kiters Appreciation Barbeque for all kiters (and families) who register on the field for our event. It is at the Appreciation Barbeque that we present our Awards and hold our free draws for kiters in attendance. This year, our 13th annual event, will see some special "Lucky 13" prizes. In additon, we have already ordered a "Grand Prize" from Eric Curtis and Ann Sloboda of Boreal Kites! Another fabulous give-away - all in attendance are eligible for the free appreciation draw.
- Monday, August 1st - Kids-n-Kites: Kids-n-Kites: from 1-2:30 p.m. Free kitemaking for 100 kids, and their parents, in the pavillion area of Lakeview Park. This event is very popular and helps spread the joy of kiting to many children and families. The event is very popular. We can use the help of as many NWKA members as possible from 12:30 (set-up time) to 2:30 p.m. We also have some community volunteers who assist us.
6. Special Kite Festival Coming to Fort Niagara, Lewiston NY:
On October 8-10, 2005, historic Fort Niagara in Lewiston NY will be the site of an impressive kite festival that will feature many of the top kiters in the world.
Masaaki Modegi and his group from Japan, Mikio Toki from Japan, Peter Lynn from New Zealand, Martin Lester from England, Robert Trepanier from Montreal, Carl Bigras from Ottawa, Scott Skinner from Colorado, Corey Jenson from Nevada, and Jose Sainz from California will all be in attendance.
They will be joined by other kiters who will be travelling to Lewiston from the AKA festival in Wildwood NJ, held just the weekend before. This will mean a very spectacular kite event hosted by the Town of Lewiston.
Meg Albers of Buffalo NY is the coordinator of the event. Meg will be seeking some volunteers from our club to assist with the many duties associated with pulling off a huge festival that will attract large crowds from the Northeastern USA. It is our hope that several NWKA members will be able to assist. Once we get more details you will be advised by email and our Newsletter.
7. More Information on "The World's Largest Kite":
As a follow-up to our email message of a while ago we can now publish more information about the world's largest kite. Thanks to Meg Albers of GLKS and to an email posting by Peter Lynn of New Zealand sent to Vaino Raun for all the facts and photos below.
Bob White - NWKA Newsletter Editor
