The MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival 2011 soars to new heights

The weather might have started cool, but it did not stop people from coming out to MCC-Longview's front lawn to watch some of the most amazing kite displays in the Midwest.

Preliminary numbers indicate that more than 15,000 people packed the festival grounds for the fifth annual Flights of Fancy kite festival. But kite flying was not the only thing going on on campus as the festival also hosted a kite historian in the Cultural Arts Center showcasing kites from the past.

The Kansas City Kite Club once again also put on an amazing display of mega kites and stunt kites.

One of those kites flying overhead also had a camera attached shooting some amazing photos of the festival from several hundred feet in the air.



Be sure to check out all of Thomas's photos on his photos blog.

Be sure to check out ALL of the festival photos over on the MCC-Longview photos blog.

We want to thank Farmers Insurance, our presenting sponsor for helping us put together another successful festival.

This also could not have been done without the help of Kiewit and Truman Medial Centers.

NBC features the MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival

NBC Action News invited public relations coordinator Mike Ekey to the morning show to talk about this exciting kite festival happening this weekend at MCC-Longview.

Weatherman Brett Anthony talks kites and good, windy weather for Saturday!

The MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival

presented by Farmers Insurance

Saturday, April 16

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

www.mccflightsoffancy.org

Go fly a kite!

Although the site of pretty kites soaring in the sky seems like a simple act for a laid back, breezy Saturday afternoon, there's a lot more to it that one would think. Audrey Battrum's physics class found that out as they designed their own kites based on material they learned in the course - and then tried to make them fly.

Everything from plastic bags tied to strings (which doesn't get a lot of loft but does stay airborne as long as there's a hint of breeze) to the tried-and-true diamond-shaped paper kite that we're all familiar with took to the skies by the Student Center.

The kite work is all part of applying course material for physics and engineering students, who are actually graded on whether or not their kite flies.

For a really impressive display of kite-flying, plan to attend MCC-Longview's Flights of Fancy Kite Festival April 19. Free family fun!

Lee's Summit City Council renames April Kite Month in honor of the Flights of Fancy kite festival

Lee's Summit City Councilman Allan Gray and Mayor Randy Rhodes read from an official city proclamation naming April Kite Month in Lee's Summit. After the reading, the two city officials presented it to festival manager Jill Ladas.

The ceremony at the regulars session of the city council on Thursday gave Ladas a chance to talk about how the festival started as just a small gathering of kite hobbyists and has now become one of the largest free kite festivals in the Midwest.

The 2011 MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival

Presented by Farmers Insurance

April 16, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

MCC-Longview

www.mccflightsoffancy.org

MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival

The MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival, presented by Farmers Insurance, is celebrating its 5th anniversary.

Once again, members of the Kansas City Kite Club will have some of the most amazing kites on display at this FREE event for all ages.

Professional kite flyers from around the Midwest will be flying their mega kites and stunt kites all day while the rest of the MCC-Longview campus will be open for public kite flying.

“There is no better way to welcome spring than to spend the day flying a kite on the grounds here at MCC-Longview,” festival manager Jill Ladas said.

As the festival continues to grow, we also continue to offer more FREE activities for kids, including: a bounce house, face painting, balloon artists and much more.

The festival will open at 10 a.m. on the MCC-Longview campus.

MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy Kite Festival presented by Farmers Insurance

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, 2011

MCC-Longview Campus

500 SW Longview Road, Lee's Summit Mo.

For more information, directions or a look at last year's festival, check out the Flights of Fancy website at: http://www.mccflightsoffancy.org/

The MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival needs YOU!

The fifth annual MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival, presented by Farmers Insurance, needs your help. 

To make this amazing all-day festival a huge success we need volunteers like YOU. As we invite close to 15,000 people to the MCC-Longview camps we need ambassadors to help represent MCC, to answer questions, to man the entrances and exits, and much more.

This festival can not be a huge success without your help and support. 

If you would like to volunteer for this event, contact Kimberlee Thomasson at 816.604.2205.

Volunteers will be broken into three shifts (morning, noon and evening shifts) - but feel free to stay the whole day and experience some of the most amazing kite displays in the Midwest.

Flights of Fancy kite festival

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Saturday, April 16

MCC-Longview

http://www.mccflightsoffancy.org/

Picture of the week from MCC-Longview

And now for your gratuitous kite picture from MCC-Longview.

Happy Friday, MCC.

KC Kite Club invades MCC-Longview for a day

Not even the freezing temperatures could keep Sean Beaver, president of the KC Kite Club from flying his kites over the open lawn at MCC-Longview this past weekend.


A part of the KC Kite Club's winter business meeting, some of the members decided to brave the 32-degree winds and fly a few kites. Among the kite club members, there were about a dozen kite (some small, some as large as a basketball court) flying above Longview.


The KC Kite Club provides some of the most amazing mega kites that fill the sky during the MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival.
Don't miss the Flights of Fancy kite festival on April 16, 2011

Flights of Fancy videos

Here are a few of the great videos taken at the MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy Kite Festival on April 17.


Flights of Fancy Kite Festival 2010 from Mike Ekey on Vimeo.


And of course look at those crowds enjoying the day on the lawn!


Flights of Fancy Kite Festival 2010 from Mike Ekey on Vimeo.

Record Breaking Crowds Attend Flights of Fancy Kite Festival

It seemed every inch of the sky above MCC-Longview was filled with kites, banners and wind socks as the 4th Annual Flights of Fancy Kite Festival took flight over the campus on April 17.

Along with the professional demonstrations by the Kansas City Kite Club, thousands of families also came out on the gorgeous Saturday to fly their own kite and enjoy the spring weather.

“We could not have asked for a better day,” said festival chairwoman Jill Ladas. “It really is just perfect for sitting outdoors and enjoying every second of the kite displays.”

By the end of the day, more than 14,000 people had come to the lawn to check out some of the one-of-akind kites by Sean Beaver, president of the KC Kite Club. By mid afternoon,Beaver cleared an area in the professional flying field and unleashed the world’s largest windsock kite to the amazement of the spectators. When fully filled the windsock is as large as a three-story
building and has enough turning force to lift a 200 pound man 50 feet into the air.

“This is not some delicate box kite or something,” said Beaver. “This is something you have to tell others ‘don’t try this at home.’”

For a full photo album from the kite festival, click here.