High Flying Adventure at Niagara Falls International Kite Festival

Edited by Jennifer L. Price

Top kite flyers from around the world will once again converge in Niagara Falls to challenge the "Mighty Niagara".  The Niagara International Kite Festival--featuring participants from dozens of countries--will take place from September 27-30, 2007.

The Festival is the only kite event of its kind that attempts to reenact a significant historical event. With the theme of "Connecting the Past, Present and the Future With a Kite String," participants will attempt to reenact the Homan Walsh kite contest of 1848.

The original contest was designed to secure a line across the Niagara gorge to facilitate the building of the area's first suspension bridge. Despite many obstacles, 15-year-old Homan Walsh successfully flew the first line across the turbulent gorge. He won $10--at that time an impressive sum.

This year’s participants will also attempt to connect the United States and Canada with a beautiful, handcrafted arch of diamond kites--which will be brought in from Switzerland for the festival. Last year, hundreds of kite flyers--both professional and amateur--and thousands of spectators came from around to world to test their skills and specialized equipment.

"At the Niagara International Kite Festival, the kite flyers not only love the challenge the reenactment provides, they also love the opportunity to fly at such an awe inspiring icon as Niagara Falls," said Meg Albers, the event's organizer.  Albers, who founded the festival in 1992, is a professional kite flyer, kite historian and leading expert on the Homan Walsh contest.

"We are thrilled to host the Niagara International Kite Festival again," said John Percy, president and CEO of the Niagara Tourism & Convention Corporation. "With its beauty, romance and sense of friendly competition, the festival is a key part of the tourism renaissance in Niagara USA."

Kite flyers from all across the U.S., Canada, England, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Switzerland, Israel, and even Tasmania have already registered to participate in this unique event, with more signing up everyday.

For more information, visit www.niagara-usa.com. For specific event details, go to www.niagarakite.com