May 6th, 2001

 

On the road again...

Great new flying field in San Francisco!

After nearly ten years of work, the city of San Francisco has reopened Crissy Field to the public. The new facilities include a visitors center with interactive exhibits where children of all ages can learn more about the history of the field and the ecosystems the area now supports.

 

 

The best attraction however is the field itself. One of the intended uses for the huge, flat open field is as a recreational location for single line kites. (While multiple line kites are not expressly prohibited, the city is careful to mention 'single line' whenever they mention kites.) To celebrate the grand reopening of the field the city threw an incredible airshow and kite festival.

Saturday some fliers gathered with the international guests for a very relaxed fly in the afternoon. That was followed by a reception in the Crissy Field center with a slide show about the various fliers and their art (both kites and other mediums). It was very interesting to see these artists and their kites in a broader context.

Sunday May 6th was the big day, emphasis on the word BIG. This festival was produced on a grand scale from Peter Lynn's amazing inflatable kites right down to the 9,000 diamond kites with the event logo that were GIVEN away.

The afternoon was an exercise in sensory overload. The flying field was filled with amazing kites from all over the world. There were Edo's from Japan, Hand painted Rokkaku's by Claudio Capelli of Italy, as well as several Chinese dragon kites.

Robert Trepanier was there with his new series of quadline creatures and George Peters brought his collection of flying felines as well.

David Wagner and Nathan Sendan were there with all the Red Line kites and this was a great opportunity to see a very small sneak preview of one of the most interesting kite projects in America.

Peter Lynn had a Trilobyte, Octupus, and Gecko up all at the same time with Dan's Fugu completing the ensemble. Pierre Fabre was not to be outdone and added his Giant inflatable spaceman to the mix as well as a large inflatable spinning ground display.

Everywhere you looked there were amazing kites to dazzle you.
The real show was behind the flying field. What an awesome sight to turn around and see literally thousands of little yellow diamonds filling the sky, their mylar tails sparkling in the sun. The crowds were huge and at times it seemed everyone was flying one of the commemorative kites.

There was a huge tent with many kites on display and kite making going on as well. No surprise that in the middle of all those kids was J.R. Tolman doing what he does best.
It was an amazing afternoon and an inspiring collection of kites.

Big thanks go out to Ivy Loo who worked very hard to make sure this event came together and went off smoothly. It was a flying success!

If you missed it, be sure to check out Crissy Field soon. The new facilities are very nice and the field is an awesome place to fly, destined to become a hangout for kiters.