Coastal Bend kite enthusiasts gather for return of Rockport Kite Festival
ROCKPORT — Coastal Bend natives and visitors of all ages watched in awe as kite enthusiasts launched colorful crabs, fish and other creatures into the air on Saturday at the city of Rockport's first kite festival since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joan Robinson, 70, and Gayle Robinson, 73, traveled from the East Texas city of Marshall to watch the display at the Rockport Harbor Festival Grounds. Gayle Robinson, a retired pilot, found the festival online and brought his own kite.
"We come every summer and we come as often as we can," Joan Robinson said.
The kite festival, previously hosted by the Rockport Cultural Arts District, was canceled the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city picked up the festival when officials found out the district wasn't going to continue it, administrative special events coordinator Brittany Elkins said.
Bob Kurth, also known as Santa Bob, of the Coastal Bend Flying Circus attended his first Rockport Kite Festival in 2019. After a period of bad kite-flying weather, the Rockport Kite Festival was like brushing off the snow, Kurth said.
"I'm glad they got it back started," Kurth said. "This was always a fun fly. Next year, we're thinking of getting a competition stunt fly team from Austin."
Kurth began flying kites in the late 1960s in Ocean City, Maryland. Since then, he's flown kites as long as he was in an area he could fly in.
"This has inspired other people and children," Kurth said. "The kids will see all these big things and want to go out and get one, but you have to know what you're doing because these can hurt you. Fly It Port A, a local business, has a huge selection, and the owner won't let you buy a kite if you aren't capable of flying it."
Though the festival was scheduled to end at 5 p.m., the professional fliers came prepared with night kites, featuring colorful LED lights for a show after dark.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Rockport's annual kite festival returns after pandemic hiatus
