Weekend festivals let kites, melodies soar

Mon, May 19, 2008    to del.icio.us

The nineteenth annual Great Lakes Kite Festival enjoyed high winds, sunny conditions, and great turnouts on Friday and Saturday.

Click to enlarge
Steve Negen, owner of the Mackinaw Kite Company, said he couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

"Attendance was great on Friday and phenomenal on Saturday," Negen said.

However, high winds and worse weather hindered people on Sunday.

"Not many people stayed for Sunday; we can't really blame them," Negen said.

In addition to the popularity of team kites, giant kite fliers, and kitesurfers, Negen said the festival also featured an impressive response in events for children.

"The children's tent was absolutely packed," Negen said.

In conjunction with the festival, the Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan held its first ever Grand Haven walk Saturday. A total of 202 walkers raised more than $25,000 for the CLF.

Services Director Kristen West and Director of Special Events Betsy Bonnell of the CLF were on hand to launch the walk.

"Everyone out there was just so warm and welcoming, it was great to be a part of the festival," Bonnell said. "The support from the community was unbelievable."

Bonnell even got some time to watch the kites.

"The kites were incredible," said Bonnell. "The dragon, the octopus and the penguin were so much fun. I loved the flying and the precision of the competition kites."

Negen thinks that the rise in attendance this year will only grow for next year's festival.

"This was such a great weekend for all the locals coming out for the first time, I can't wait for the twentieth annual festival next year," Negen said.

In addition to the Kite Festival, downtown Grand Haven was also the site of the first Grand Haven Jazz Festival this weekend.

The Western Jazz Quartet, two-time Grammy winning saxophonist Jeff Coffin, and the Truth in Jazz Orchestra all played in front of a warm reception at Waterfront Stadium. The ensembles also held jazz clinics for area high school students on both Friday and Saturday.

Tom Knific, bass player for the Western Jazz Quartet, played Friday night.

"We had a small crowd because of the weather — the wind was blowing pretty hard," Knific said.

The quartet, which has played worldwide, especially enjoyed working with Grand Haven High School students, said the bass player.

"That age, sometimes people aren't very receptive, but the kids here did a great job with working with us," Knific said.

While crowds were small for the festival, Knific believes that it was a good start.

"We're grateful to be a part of it, and especially with jazz festivals, once you get people in the door they keep coming back," he said.

Dave Johnson, organizer of the jazz festival, said that while the weather did not accommodate a concert, the attendance for a first-year event was positive.

"Everybody in the groups played wonderful, so those that came out truly enjoyed the music," said Johnson. "I'm really proud to have brought this to the community."

Johnson has already booked Waterfront Stadium for next year's event.

"This won't be just a hit and miss festival," Johnson said. "We want people to know we're coming back and we appreciate the crowds."