By Lee Toy Vol. 7 No. 3- Mayr. -Jun. 1984 Get out your kitemaking supplies and clear off the dining room table. This years 12th Annual Father’s Day Kite Festival has some super contests and lots of nice prizes for the winners. Kitemakers of SF PIER 39 and KLOK Radio (103.7 FM) are co-sponsoring this event with Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of SF. The Festival will be held June 17, Sunday at the Marina Green from noon to 5 pm. Contests held will be: Largest, Smallest, Most Un-usual, Parent-Child entry, Stunt Flying, S.F. Theme and KLOK Radio Kite. There will …

By Lee Toy Vol. 7 No. 2- Mar. -Apr. 1984 “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu And so the historical (hysterical) journey of the Bay Area Kite Enthusiasts is off and run¬ning with a very successful kite fly on the third of March and a subsequent kite workshop at the Miraloma Elementary School on March 22, as a STEP in the right direction. The March 3rd Kite Fly was a good one for those attending. Special surprize guest was BILL SHAPRIO, Kansas City, MO, who flew into town without telling anyone. He …

By Lee Toy Vol. 7 No. 1- Jan. -Feb. 1984 TODAY THE “GREEN”,TOMORROW THE UNIVERSE In an unprecedented move the Kite Flyers for a Better Bay Area met for the first time December 10 at the residence of Leland Toy in San Francisco. The clandestine group assembled for a delicious pot-luck supper, followed by an interesting show of slides concerning kites and other flying objects. After waking up, the group held an informal meeting in hopes of organizing a chapter of the AKA in the Bay Area. Un-officially the group’s name will be: Bay Area Kite Enthusists, or B.A.K.E. and …

By Lee Toy Vol. 6 No. 6- Nov. -Dec. 1983 We dedicate this issue of Kite Flyer to the memory of Steve Edeiken (1953-1983), may we strive to emulate his kindness and fellowship by which he lived. Two weeks before the AKA convention Steve was killed in a kite accident at Long Beach, WA. After several hours of unsuccessful attempts to launch a 115’x150′ Parafoil, many of the spectators and launch team were preparing to leave the flying field. The kite suddenly became airborne with Steve’s foot entangled in it’s bridles. It lifted him 100 feet in the air.  Steve …

By Lee Toy Vol. 6 No. 5- Sep. – Oct. 1983 I would like to dedicate this issue of KITE FLYER to the many kite friends I have met while traveling on the East Coast during the past year. I am especially endebted to Jim Boatwright for his kind hospitality and encouragement even if he doesn’t fly kites. As summer starts drawing to a close, your roving reporter will soon be heading off to attend the 6th Annual AKA kite Convention in Columbus, OH, and finally put an end to his wanderings around the East Coast. But as General-What’s-His-Name said,”I …

By Lee Toy Vol. 6 No. 4- Jul. – Aug. 1983 NOTHIN’ COULD BE FINER THAN TO BE IN NORTHERN CAR-O-LINA IN THE SUM-M-MER It’s been interesting living in the Shenan¬doah valley this summer, the fickled winds can make one appreciate the simple pleasures of a steady offshore breeze. It’s when I am struggling to loft a light wind delta in the still of the hot afternoon that I can almost taste the salt air and feel the sand between my toes. Lexington winds tend to be rather choppy and inconsistent as they tumble past the surrounding mountain ranges and …

By Lee Toy Vol. 6 No.3- May. – Jun. 1983 ON THE ROAD AGAIN I had planned on attending the Smithsonian Kite Festival, one of the largest and long-est running events in the USA. I had men-tioned to Paul Garber that I would see him along with the Moellers, Govigs and the Makeys who also planned on being there Fate was against me. Exhausted from a long day’s ride from Miami (14 hours) I arrived wet and cold in Savannah, Georgia the eve-ning of the 23rd, three days before the BIG event. It would have been an easy two day …

By Lee Toy Vol. 6 No.2- Mar. – Aprt. 1983 Hi…welcome to another (UGH,LATE) great issue of that everpopular yellow journalism KITE FLYER NEWS (“everything you never wanted to know about kites and didn’t care to ask”). This issue is being brought to you live from Key West, the Southernmost point of the continental United States, home of the late Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway. The Monster (a local watering hole) is a popular place to get inspired. Lots of writers have made Key West their home and I am fortunate to have met a few during my visit to …

By Lee Toy Vol. 5 No.6 – Oct. – Nov. 1982 HI OH SNAIL..AND AWAY, WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN WHO CRAWLED THRU HERE ANYWAY? DID YOUR SUBSCRIPTION LASPE? WAS THERE A MAIL STRIKE? DID THE EDITOR GET A FLAT TIRE ON HIS WAY TO THE PRINTERS?? IF YOU WERE WONDERING WHERE YOUR “KITE FLYER” HAS BEEN FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS, NOT TO WORRY, HERE IT IS!!! SORRY FOR THE DELAY, ROAD ISSUE’S ARE MURDER ON YOUR FRIENDLY EDITOR NOT TO MENTION HIS GRACIOUS HOSTS, LARRY AND CINDY MOELLER (PRONOUNCED ‘MILLER’ WHY? WHO KNOWS). NOT ONLY DID THEY OFFER …

By Lee ToyVol. 5 No.5 – Sep. – Oct. 1982 This newsletter is being brought to you live from the 5th floor of the warehouse that Ken Conrad and Suzanne „Sadow of ‘Great Winds Kites’ call home. As I sit here typing I can see beyond the Alaskan Way Viaduct over to West Seattle to the Olympic National Park’s snow capped mountains beyond. Although Seattle is a busy city it is surrounded by natural beauty, bridges link various areas over lakes and sound that are busy with sailing and ferry boats. The houses are surrounded by a sea of trees …