Lincoln City, OR – Let your kite carry away your worries at the 20^th Annual Lincoln City Summer Kite Festival, to be held June 26 and 27, 2004. This year’s theme is "Kaleidoscope of Color." Among the activities included are dual line kite demonstrations, a kite ballet exhibition, mass ascensions, and Rokkaku battles. Beginner and expert fliers are invited to participate in the show and join in the fun.

For the first time ever, Lincoln City’s Kite Festival is a Portland Rose Festival sanctioned event—the Rose Festival’s Air Show! So bring your kites, including the airplane-shaped ones, and be part of the fly-over!

Three of this year’s featured fliers are Barry Poulter of Lakewood, Washington, Larry Zilar of Richland, WA, and Carl and Lisa Bragiel of Amity, OR. Barry is a consummate kite builder and designer who emigrated from England to the United States in 2002. Barry has been building kites since 1991, but he likes to fly them too. "If there is one kite that explains it all it is the Rokkaku. I can really fly one. I mean I understand it!"

Larry Zilar has been flying kites for nearly a quarter century. Dressed as Ben Franklin, and with the assistance of his wife, Mary, Larry will be flying large kites, usually displaying a 23- by 40-foot, thirteen-star "Betsy Ross" style American flag suspended from the kite line. Larry and the Ben-Franklin Kite Society are dedicated to kite flying safety and family pleasure in kiting.

Carl Bragiel, "The One Man Kite Team", has been flying three dual line sport kites for 11 of his 14 years as a kiter. In order to perfect his show, Carl began by flying over 30 hours per week, totaling close to 2000 hours in the first year alone. Before going public with his show in 1994, he flew in all weather conditions (even in the dark); he tangled lines, ripped sails, and broke many kite frames. Assisted by his wife Lisa, Carl is one of just three people in North America and one of a handful of people in the world who can fly three dual line kites simultaneously.

The festival is sponsored by the Lincoln City Visitor and Convention Bureau, the Lincoln City Kite Friendship Association, Shilo Inn Oceanfront Resort, the Inn at Spanish Head, Oregon State Parks, Siletz Bay Lodge, Chinook Winds Casino & Convention Center, Sea Horse Oceanfront Lodging, and An Exceptional Place to B & B Inn. For more information, contact the Lincoln City Visitor and Convention Bureau, 800-452-2151 or 541-996-1274.

The flying is never finer than in Lincoln City, voted as the best kite flying location in North America by Kitelines Magazine. Come fly or come escape in the viewing!