festivals getting canceled due to funding-what to do about it???

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[trumpet]

Having the AKA Nationals in Gettysburg, Pa. should be noted as little if no help for generating any intrest in kite flying. You could'nt get the competitors interest.

[Allen Carter]

I wouldnt count the Convention as a festival. Its all about AKA people, not civilians. Great event, but not really what we're talking about.

[trumpet]

With the state of kiting like it is, I would think that any public interest would be welcomed in any format. When you can't generate the kite flyers to respond, well....

[mikenchico]

Maybe the secret isn't to hold a "Festival" for kite flyers but a public event like our "Kite Day" to welcome in Spring. This year we had horrendous winds over 25 MPH that would keep most people inside but the attendance at our little 4 hour event was estimated at 5,000 people in a community of 85,000. Not bad IMO. Better years have seen 10,000.

It's sponsored by a local shop who's owner was very much interested in kiting in the 1980's and named his business appropriately. Now kites are a very small part of his business but he continues to do Kite Day. He has gained the sponsorship of a local radio station and the city's sports and recreation dept. so he gets some unpaid advertising and the city has insurance in place for public events in the city parks. Keyword PUBLIC, not kite enthusiasts only. Bob makes up buttons that are given to everyone who attends and gives away a kite each morning during the week prior over the radio station to 'caller number _ _' on his way to work.

People aren't invited to watch, they aren't held back by ropes, they are invited to JOIN IN.

Newspaper article from this year

We also get TV news coverage since 1/10 of the population is there it's big news.

Just a thought

[ben dantonio]

There many good idea's here, we as a body just need to make it happen, one of the things
is when there's smoke let's not wait till it's a fire..... When I learned Bristol was in trouble
I took it on to help and it did not matter where it was it was someone or some thing that
needed my help.... I go to a lot of events and I always try to give back to the event any way
I can because I love this sport.... This raffle thing is my time and my work with the help of
many of my friends and peers who wanted to help... In this instance I had enough time to
make something happen and even if I hate my self later for saying this " if any event gives
me enough time I will help them if they are in trouble" I don't know how but I will always
try to make something happen.... So many of you helped me and guided me when I first started
kiting how could I not give back in some small way..... Ben from Revolution

[DaveS]

Kite Party 1-7?

SHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

[kiteking]

Dave I was referring to the format not the location or date

[fuw3]

One of the problems seems to be the PR end of it.  My wife has friends who have lived in the Bay Area for decades and never heard of the Berkeley Kite Festival!  She made a comment that in Singapore pretty much everyone knows about special events and festivals because they are all very well publicized.  Granted, Singapore is a tiny island so there is only so many places you can go on the weekend but still.