Kiting event at airport
By Angie Landsverk
Kites of all shapes and sizes floated above Waupaca’s municipal airport on Saturday, May 22.
The Waupaca Area Public Library hosted members of the Wisconsin Kiters Club for a field day.
“We were looking for an East Asian activity to go with our exhibit,” said Children’s Librarian Sue Abrahamson.
The library recently received a grant to foster a better understanding of East Asia and its people through cultural exhibits and enhanced circulating collections.
Items are on display at the library representing the countries of East Asia and Waupaca’s sister city, Mitoyo City, Japan.
It was the former director of Fremont’s public library who connected Abrahamson with the Wisconsin Kiters Club.
Abrahamson called Michael Sherman about a month ago to talk about possible dates for an event.
He is the club’s president and liked Waupaca’s central location.
The library and airport collaborated to put together the free field day.
“It’s been super,” said Sherman, who lives outside of Madison and works in communications.
About two dozen club members attended Saturday’s field day.
Many brought multiple kites to the event.
About 90 families from across the state are involved in the club, which started in 1995, he said.
Sherman became involved in the hobby about five years ago.
He and his family lived in Ohio at the time.
They were heading home from a vacation in northern Wisconsin when he saw large kites flying in the sky.
“Milwaukee was having a July 4th festival, and they had really big kites out there,” Sherman said.
After returning home, he did some research online before buying his first kite.
Wisconsin Kiters Club
Sherman met members of the Wisconsin Kiters Club five years ago at the Great Lakes Kite Festival, in Grand Haven, Michigan.
“They were the nicest people,” he said.
A job opportunity brought Sherman and his family to Wisconsin.
He has served as the club’s president for about 1 1/2 years, and is known for the videos he creates at events and puts on YouTube.
“When you’re flying something as big as this, I’m in awe all the time,” Sherman said.
Club members enjoy doing things for children, and he said this could turn into an annual event in Waupaca.
“It’s not every day an airport will come and do something like this,” Sherman said, extending his appreciation to the airport.
He enjoys taking shots of the kites and setting his videos to music so he can share the experience with others.
Anthony Catalano flew kites his entire childhood.
“As an adult, I hadn’t flown a kite in a super long time,” he said.
That changed five years ago during a weekend in St. Joseph, Michigan.
Not wanting to get bored on the beach, he pulled out an old kite and flew it the whole weekend.
“I had a blast,” said Catalano, who lives outside Chicago and is also a member of the kite club.
That sparked his interest in the hobby.
He started with small kites and worked his way up to large ones with the help of mentors.
“That’s the cool thing,” he said. “People are willing to share their knowledge.”
All of Catalano’s kites have a similar color variation featuring purple, aqua and blue, which are his favorite colors.
He likes stacking his kites at events in odd numbers, like three or five.
One of the kites he brought to Waupaca was 100 feet long, equal to two school buses back to back, he said.
Catalano typically starts going to events on weekends in April and does so through June.
“July and August are hot, and there is barely any wind,” he said.
His kites are handmade and custom made.
It takes four months from the time he places an order until he receives the kite.
Catalano explained what he likes about the hobby.
He works in an IT department at a high school.
“I stare at a screen five days a week, so it’s nice to be outdoors and get some fresh air,” Catalano said. “I like putting smiles on peoples’ faces.”
There were lots of smiles on the faces of those who attended last weekend’s event here.
“What a fantastic event that the library put on. There isn’t an event like this for a few hours away. It’s a great opportunity, closer to home,” said Carrie Hutchison, of Iola.
She was at the airport with her husband and two children.
“The variety of kites is so fantastic,” Hutchison said.
Her daughter Annalee liked all the kites, while her son Zaylin liked the fish.
“It’s a beautiful day to fly a kite,” Hutchison said. “This is so fabulous.”