COLOR THE WIND 2006, held on February 18th, drew a crowd of several thousand people. However, it was so cold, that few were brave enough (or foolish enough) to leave their cars to join us on the ice!
We had to move the festival site to McIntosh Woods State Park again this year because the DNR aerator and the wind had melted the ice at the Downtown Seawall.
We apologize that there were some folks that couldn't find us! Just remember that if there isn't sufficient ice at the downtown seawall, we will be at McIntosh Woods again next year. We always publish the alternate site on this website along with the festival information.
Kiters from 6 states drove to Clear Lake to entertain with their show kites and they put on quite a show despite the freezing temperatures! "Fire and Ice", the kite-flying duo of Kathy Brinnehl and Paul Koepke gave us fantastic stunt kite performances as evidenced by the honking of horns by the audience huddled in their cars!
Despite the weather, numerous families ventured out on the ice to experience being "bounced on" underneath the "spiky ball". The hot food and drinks made available by the Back Yard Deli and the Oberbroecklings added a lot to the enjoyment of the day!
All the photos of this year's festival were provided by Dr. Tim McKone from Mason City. Thank you, Tim!
Discover the Child Within......Fly a Kite!
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New to the festival this year-- Bob & Heidi Rymaszewski's Patriotic Teddy Bear! He's a really big bear as you can see by comparing him to the size of the people on the ground under him!
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It looks like Duke, the Blue Meanie has found a new love interest. Just look at those lips! And doesn't she look cute in her red mini-skirt? (She really does have two legs and feet!)
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Here are Bob & Heidi Rymaszewski shown with a few of their many big show kites. Bob & Heidi traveled from Wisconsin to take part in Color the Wind. Bob is the Region 6 Director for the American Kitefliers Association.
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The stunt kite duo "Fire 'n Ice" put on three great shows during the day. They really make their kites dance to the music! The "Fire 'n Ice" team is made up of Kathy Brinnehl from Chicago and Paul Koepke from near Milwaukee. They both compete in American Kitefliers Association (AKA) sanctioned competitions and both are major prizewinners! We're honored that they have made appearances with us at Color the Wind for the past several years and plan to join us again in 2007.
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Al Sparling, from Naperville, Il., brought two new kites with him to Color the Wind this year-- the big fish and the huge Gecko. Al flies at numerous festivals each year throughout the world. We are glad he visited us in Clear Lake this year prior to leaving for a very large kite festival in Thailand.
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