2009 Kite Building Workshop

It started as a rainy cool Sunday, one of those days you really didn't feel like getting out of bed. Oh, but wait, there is a kite workshop and I need a new kite for the 2009 season. A Jimmy Pentagon Kite to be exact. That's what we set off to make in this year's start to the season. People arrived before the 10:00 starting time to set up their sewing machines, grab a coffee and a donut and to display the projects they worked on over the winter.

Bob White gave a brief history of the pentagon shaped kite and then the procedure for making the kite. He showed a few examples of what can be done to "animate" the unique shape.


Soon everyone picked a colour and started cutting and sewing. Here are some "birds eye" views



Doug carefully taping the edges of his yellow kite.

Carlos' butterfly kites.

At around noon, Doug Jermyn stopped in to show us some a picture of the SilverDart and a section of a tetrahedral that he received while in Baddeck. He gave a short update on the goings on with the SilverDart replica and then stayed for some lunch.


Here's Fred and Donna helping Andy with his kite.

At around 3:00 almost everyone had finished and helped to clean up for our group photo.

The sun had broken up the clouds and rain, so a few of us ventured out to the usual flying spot to try out our new kites along with some of the other kites that were displayed at the workshop.


At the end of it all, we had a great turnout. 6 clubs were represented, 33 attendees and 30ish new kites to fly. Thanks to Bob White to take time in his hectic schedule to organize a great workshop, Stephanie Bowes and Chris White for making sure we were fed (nobody likes a hungry kiter), Vaino Raun for the much needed coffee at the start of the workshop, and Mary Kort for taking all our money.

This workshop is a great way to start the season and I will be looking forward to April 26th for good weather and a steady breeze to see everybody again and to fly a few kites as well.