(Arnolds Park)-The Okoboji Kite Festival will return to Winter Games this year, KUOO’s Becky Thoreson has details:
The Okoboji Kite Festival will be held during the University of Okoboji Winter Games this weekend.
Founder Steve Boote says participants will be coming from across the country. “Last year was from all over the world, this year it’s from all over the country. This year is more fliers than last year and a lot more kites, but with covid, the international fliers weren’tt able to make it but they certainly are on task to come back next year as we grow it more and more every year. I think last year we had 34 or 35 of the really large kites in the air at one time. This year will be at least double that.”
He notes that new and unusual kites will be making an appearance. “I got permission from the daughter of the original inventor, cartoonist of Gumby and Pokey, the little flexible toys and cartoon series. Gumby unfortunately is lost in California going through customs. We’ll be out working on Pokey throughout the festival and flying him. Another new one that I have is a musky kite, one of our larger species of fish in the Okobojis. I think he’s about 85 feet long, and one of my business partners is Duane Mueske of Mueske Electric up there in Spirit Lake so I wanted to put a kite out there in his honor and we’ve named the kite Duane. So, whoever comes out will get to see Duane fly for the first time.”
The Okoboji Kite Festival will run from 10-4 on Friday and Saturday.
Listen to the full interview:
