Events

26 results.
Oct17

2009 AKA National Convention Notes

on October 17, 2009 at 8:50 pm

A week after the 2009 AKA National Convention in Rochester, MN, Complex is finally posting some of the notes about the convention and things he learned. Some of this is even making its way to the Kite Tips section. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

1 Comment
May24

Midnight Squadron Wins Wildwood Team Rokkaku

on May 24, 2009 at 8:50 pm

Complex reports via the Midnight Squadron Twitter feed:

rok battle-lost heat 1 but won rest.Wwoods champs!

Congrats to the Midnight Squadron team for winning team rokkaku at the Wildwood International Kite Festival!  I’m sure Complex will give us the tip-by-tip when he gets online next.

 Comment 
May21

Wildwood Kite Festival This Weekend!

on May 21, 2009 at 6:04 pm

The Wildwood Kite Festival is upon us, and with little time to prepare, at least 2 Squadroneers are headed over to participate.

Please follow at midnightsquad’s Twitter feed to see what happens

 Comment 
Apr28

Kite Aerial Photography at MIKE

on April 28, 2009 at 8:57 am

Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) on Saturday did not work out. All conditions were absolutely perfect for great shots of the festival kites — but the shutter did not press properly, so no pictures.

I tried again Sunday morning and got some great pictures. Unfortunately there were no other kites out so early, but I got some great sunrise and strolling-on-the-boardwalk shots.

I’ve posted 15 of the best at

http://tinyurl.com/cggvhf

Thanks Joanne and Cindy for allowing me to hang a camera over their heads!

 Comment 
Apr25

The Squadron at MIKE

on April 25, 2009 at 4:29 am

For news from the flying fields of MIKE, check out our Twitter Feed at:

http://twitter.com/midnightsquad
or for the more specific MIKE-only tweets

We should have an individual rokkaku contest tomorrow!.

1 Comment
Apr15

Fullish-ish Moon Kite Fly

on April 15, 2009 at 5:19 pm

We’re a little late but we’re gonna fly kites this Saturday night!

Meet us at Capitol College at 9 PM to fly on the old racetrack field.

As usual, be quiet & polite b/c they’re letting us fly there, and we don’t want to disturb the students housed nearby.

We’ve got an earlier event, too — a Rokkaku duel demo with the Bam’s Kung Fu of Laurel!

1 Comment
Apr15

Rok Goes Bam! (Noon at Bam’s Kung Fu)

on April 15, 2009 at 5:17 pm

Chrooke and Complex will be demo’ing Low Down Dirty Kite Fighting this Saturday at noon for the Bam’s Kung Fu of Laurel, MD. Note the update: time and place is noon Saturday 4/18 at the Bam’s (8750 Cherry Lane #C15 Laurel, MD 20707)

Obviously, if you’re interested in Kung Fu, this is probably a good chance for you to talk to the Bams about that, too. I’ve found they’re very approachable. I’m interested in what a champion sport karate & kung fu master has to say about our dueling (besides “train regularly, already!”).

That’s two events this Saturday — there’s a Fullish Moon Kite Fly on Saturday night.

2 Comments
Mar28

Smithsonian Rokkaku Win

on March 28, 2009 at 10:46 pm

Just a quick note — the Midnight Squadron team won a very tough Smithsonian Rokkaku Challenge!

The field was great, tough, and fierce. The weather was friendly to us — the ugly dampness soaked our line, protecting us from Harold Ames & Charlie Don’t Run’s skilled slicings, and the light wind was familiar from our usual low-wind Low-Down Dirty Kite Fights.

Iron Kite spooled and Complex piloted, while Kalika Chris coached. We lapped the field 3 times, and finished last in the air in the first and third heats.

More later!

 Comment 
Mar28

Smithsonian Kite Festival –>Blossom Kite Festival, 3/27

on March 28, 2009 at 8:57 am

The Washington Monument flanked by two kites in an archThe Smithsonian Kite Festival will be held on Sunday, March 27 — only now it’s the Blossom Kite Festival!

Our favorite kite festival is now run by the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and is called the Blossom Kite Festival. The schedule looks familiar:

Blossom Kite Festival Schedule*
10:00 AM Opening remarks; Registration begins

Demonstration Field
10:15 AM – 12:00 PM Kite Ballets & Demonstrations
12:00 – 1:00 PM Youth Kite Makers Competition
1:00 – 2:00 PM Kite Ballets & Demonstrations

Competition Field
10:15 AM – 1:00 PM Kite Makers Showcase (Hand-made kites only)
1:00 – 2:00 PM Kite Makers Competition
2:00 – 3:00 PM Hot Tricks Showdown
3:00 – 4:00 PM Rokkaku Battle

* Depending on wind and weather, schedule is subject to change

So the rokkaku battle is around 2 pm (remember, it may be early!) on Sunday, March 27.

The event’s Advisory Committee contains a lot of familiar names that indicate this event is in good hands:

The Blossom Kite Festival presented by the National Cherry Blossom Festival is produced in partnership with the Blossom Kite Festival Advisory Committee: Harold Ames, Bevan Brown, Jon Burkhardt, Rick Kinnaird, Paul LaMasters, Ruth Oyen, Drake Smith, and Mike VanMeers.

Read more about the Blossom Kite Festival on their site.

Kite arch in front of the Washington Monument [Courtesy of National Cherry Blossom Festival press room, 2011]

2 Comments
Mar15

2009 Smithsonian Kite Festival!

on March 15, 2009 at 2:07 pm

The 2009 Smithsonian Kite Festival is 2 weeks from today, on Saturday, March 28!

This year’s theme is Green Environmentalism. As usual, there will be lots of fun kiting and kid-centric events for all of you spawners.

Our Rokkaku Fighting Team will be on the field seeking a fourth (? I’ve lost count) 1st place trophy. The combat is at 3pm!
↓ Read the rest of this entry…

 Comment