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PrintDate Submitted: October 31, 2012
Article Type: Discourse
Introduction by Ali Fujino
One of the great things about the world of kites is the diverse ways in which individuals can be involved. Over many years, kiting has had influences in cultures, (Asia and beyond), science (Ben Franklin), and history (kites to Kitty Hawk). One of the less frequently described aspects of kiting, and one of the most charming and entertaining is that of the “hobbyist.” These individuals are involved in kiting for the sheer fun of designing, building, and flying kites, which are designed from the heart, and created of self-learned skills and time honed craftmanship.
This is something that is not often written about, or shared in literature, as it is sometimes thought of as too frivolous, but because we are the Drachen Foundation and our jobs are to track everything in kiting, this is to be tracked. I will let you be the judge as to whether the Star Farker has a place in kite history.
Text by Scott Skinner
There is a single object that has continuously been a part of the American Kitefliers Association (AKA) annual auction for over twenty years and there is no doubt that it has raised more money for the organization than any other individual object. It is not a kite – at least it has never flown as a kite as far as we know – but it is a kite-like object unlike anything most of us have encountered. It is known as the Star Farker,and it has been with the organization for as long as most of us have been members. The history of the Star Farker is murky at best. Like many things in history, once the object is destroyed, its story becomes more colorful, recollections more fanciful, and its pedigree more uncertain. The history of the Star Farker is a mix of fact and fiction, legend and tall tales, myth and reality. It is a history in which I have played a small but defining part, and which I will attempt to explain to you.
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Page Number: 26
PDF Link: Discourse Issue 13