FEBRUARY 16, 2022 www.wintertexantimes.com 2 WINTER TEXAN TIMES SPI Kite Fest a breeze By Anastasia Brunson The SPI Kite Fest was quick and easy to spot, with very few clouds in the sky some kites could be clearly seen from the other side of the bridge in Port Isabel. I followed a line of cars w e a v i n g across the flats next to the SPI C o n v e n - tion Centre, found a parking space of sorts, and took some time in the car to layer on some gloves, a scarf, and a beanie. The weather was hovering around the high 40s to low 50s, but there was a pretty intense wind as well. This wind I’m sure, though I’m not a kite-flier, was beneficial to the dozens of kites that were maintaining their place in the sky. With camera in hand, I instantly went towards the right side of the flats, my eye on a massive five-tiered kite along with various whales and penguins. As I was taking photos, I was vaguely listening to the announcer that was on the other side. There were members from multiple groups doing choreographed routines to songs such as House of the Rising Sun and Cliffs of Dover. After circling around I watched one of these routines, this one done to an energetic electronic song. I realized the kites that I thought were remote controlled because they zoomed and did sharp maneuvers so rapidly loud buzzing noises could be heard, were actually manually controlled. These kites were smaller and had a more aerodynamic design, and the performers definitely made use of the large amount of space that was marked off for them. After every performance a round of honking crescendoed, so if the wind was a bit too much for you spectating could be easily done from your vehicle. Walking around the performance area, there was another batch of kites including a couple of squids and other animals. Here you had to watch your step a bit to make sure you didn’t trip over any of the lines and potentially bring down a kite. Being a bit of a klutz, I opted to stay close to a line of cars to conMOBILE HOME INSURANCE HIDALGO COUNTY We Also Insure PARK MODELS • TRAVEL TRAILERS MOTORHOMES • GOLF CARTS • “CASITAS” 5TH WHEELS • AUTOS • MOTORCYCLES Galvan Insurance Agency, Inc. 1101 East Business 83 Donna, TX 1 1/2 milesWest of Don-Wes Flea Market www.galvaninsuranceagency.com *Premium subject to carrier underwriting. Rate subject to change. *$284.00per year. Conditions Apply. As Low as Plan Covers: Fire, Lightning, Explosion, Smoke, Wind (Hurricane, Tornadoes), Hail, Riot & Civil Commotion, Land & Air Vehicles... Also Includes $100,000 Liability Coverage. Flood Coverage Available Call or Come See Us 956-464-2886 Howard and Trudy Maynard from Canada. See KITE FEST pg. 28
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTczOTk5Mg==