Brookings Kite Festival

	Fish, dragons, alligators, parrots and other fun creatures will fill the skies in Brookings Saturday and Sunday at the 15th annual Kite and Bike Festival. The free two-day community event will run from noon to 4 p.m. both days at the Fishback Soccer Park on South Medary Avenue and South 22nd Street. Families can ride their bikes,
American Kite Association member Mike Gee, Jamestown, N.D., flies massive demonstration kites during the 2013 Kite and Bike Festival.

bring their own kites to fly or watch the professional kite demonstrations. Kites will also be available for purchase. New this year are group bike riding tours to Dakota Nature Park from 2 to 3 p.m. each day. Other fun activities include creating and launching paper rockets with the help of Larry Browning from the South Dakota State University physics department and looking at sunspots through telescopes provided by the Brookings Regional Astronomy Club.

On Sunday, additional activities include the Strider Bike Adventure Zone for children 18 months and older, a bike obstacle course, and fun painting activities.

"This is a great community event for Brookings that has been going on for 15 years and we wanted to expand the event for more kite flying and additional activities, " said Stacy Buehner, marketing coordinator at South Dakota Art Museum and event organizer. "The committee really enjoys hosting a free event with a lot of activities for kids and families."

The Kite and Bike Festival committee will be selling SDSU ice cream and bottled water with all proceeds going toward next year's festival. Various food and product vendors will also be at the event.