By Matthew Cregger
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
WASHINGTON – On the National Mall, just north of the tidal basin surrounding the Jefferson Memorial, thousands of people either flew kites or admired those who did over the weekend during the annual Kite Festival.
The Kite Festival is part of the wildly popular National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20 to April 14. A wide diversity of people flocked to the area, bringing to the sky a beautiful fleet of plastic that could only be rivaled by the cherry blossoms below.
Small children steadied their cartoon-themed kites decorated with images of Dumbo, Buzz and Woody from Toy Story, and Minnie Mouse. Those who leaned towards the flashy side flew kites shaped like dragons, flamingos, and even a squid.
“There were a lot of people flying kites everywhere and it was nice weather,” said Sarah Carozza, a kite flyer from West Virginia. “That made it a good day to fly kites.”
Diana Mayhew, the president of the festival, said roughly 35,000 people were expected to attend. The Kite Festival was first started on March 25, 1967, as an event hosted by the Smithsonian Institution. Mayhew said that the main purpose of the event is just for everyone to have a good time.
Kite building lessons and competitions were organized going back all the way to the original event, Mayhew said. Though the structure of the event has changed from large public competitions to small exhibitions, she added that the goal has remained the same: have some fun.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo’s mayor in 1912. Officials expect 1.5 million visitors to enjoy the cherry blossoms over its four-week span.
With a high of 73 degrees over the weekend, the weather was perfect for the kites and the cherry blossoms. The blossoms had been expected to hit peak bloom on April 1 but were hit hard by a frost left by a cold front that moved in Sunday night. The day of the Kite Festival was the best time to see them.
“I think it’s just really cool that everyone is just flying kites all at the same time,” said Carozza. “I haven’t flown a kite [since] I went to the kite festival last year. Besides that, I know it’s something I have done since I was a kid. So I like it because it’s a fun thing [that] makes you feel like you’re a kid again.”
In every direction, children were seen fighting to get their kites into the sky. They would run for all they were worth.
Some worked for the satisfaction of being able to let out every bit of string they had on their kite.
“The National Cherry Blossom Fest is a time-honored festival that is a part of Washington D.C.,” said Nora Strumpf, communications coordinator for the Cherry Blossom Festival. “It’s popular because we have something for everyone, whether it be the kite festival or the parade.”