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RICE TWP. — Conor Buckley spent Saturday morning running across the baseball field at Rice Township Municipal Park.
Behind him, the 12-year-old from Nuangola pulled a homemade kite. He tugged and pulled on its string, trying to keep the kite afloat, but he struggled.
“It’s not a good day for kite flying,” said his grandfather, Frank Bielecki, of Nanticoke. “There’s no breeze.”
Despite the lack of breeze and cloudy, drizzly weather, families gathered at the park for the annual Mountain Top Kite Festival.
During the event, children 12 and under got to color and decorate their own paper kites.
Although he brought a variety of colorful kites in all shapes and sizes with him, Conor said his favorite was the paper kite he made.
“It flies really good,” he said. “It looks like a parachute. There’s two holes on the sides, so it catches the air.”
Bielecki, who shares his love of kites with his grandson, said he has a large collection of kites at home.
“I must have 15 kites,” he said, as he worked at untwisting a blue-and-pink, nylon kite. “We try flying in my yard, but in Nanticoke, they get stuck in the trees.”
The event, which was organized by St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church and the Pocono Kite Symphony Club, featured raffle baskets, a bounce house and a DJ.
“It’s primarily an outreach event,” said church warden Don Herres. “We wanted to reach out beyond ourselves into the community and let people have a nice day.”
Abby Glynn, 16, of Mountain Top, was one of several Crestwood High School students who were on hand to help the children make their kites.
“These are really easy to make,” she said. “They fly really easy, so it’s perfect for the kids.”
A variety of kites were also available for purchase from Andy Gelinas, of the Pocono Kite Symphony. Gelinas said this is the third year he’s brought the festival to the township.
He and his club, which has merged with the Lehigh Valley Kite Society, hold a number of workshops and festivals throughout the state.
“We really enjoy it, but kite festivals aren’t what they used to be,” he said. “Kids nowadays just sit in the house playing video games.”