Annual party takes flight this weekend

Rain or shine, this weekend is party time for kite enthusiasts as top kite fliers from around the world show their stuff at the Huntington Beach Kite Party.

Friday and Saturday will mark the sixth annual Kite Party, which local Kite Connection store founder Dave Shenkman said he started as a way of getting serious kite aficionados into town for some informal fun. As always, there are no vendor booths, no schedules and no admission fees.

“The Kite Party is totally spontaneous,” Shenkman said. “All we can guarantee is that there are going to be 50 to 100 experienced kite fliers, among them dozens of the best kite fliers in the world.”

That’s what drew Mike Kory of Champaign, Ill., who said 17 members of his club, the Illinois Kite Enthusiasts, were set to show up. Kory said he’s been participating for about four years, but for the first time is bringing his club along, too.

“Dave just throws a heck of a party,” he said. “Of all the festivals and events I go to, all around the world, actually, this one’s just right on the top of my list. It’s a bunch of kite fliers coming together, and everybody’s an instant friend because we’re all going to do the same thing.”

Though the National Weather Service predicts a chance of rain this weekend, Shenkman said that won’t stop anyone. And whatever the audience, he said the wide range of kites on display will allow for some crowd-pleasing tricks.

Shenkman said he takes the informal nature of the party seriously, so he fights hard against what he calls “the F-word” — meaning, festival. Unlike more scripted events, the most a manufacturer can do is pass out cards and do an equipment demo. The idea caught on, he said. “All of a sudden you saw a decrease in festivals and an increase in parties,” Shenkman said.

Kory acknowledged there was another reason his club members were coming in force — the weather, which is a lot milder here than back home.

“I think it was minus five degrees in Chicago this morning,” he said. “It’s not a hard argument to make.”

WHAT: 6th Annual Huntington Beach Kite Party

WHERE: North side of Huntington Beach Pier, Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street

WHEN: All day, Friday and Saturday