Kite flying contest set

PASEO del Mar will be the center of activities on Saturday as over a hundred kite flying enthusiasts will outdo each other in the Kite Flying Competition Year 9 as part of the 2011 Summer Festival in Zamboanga.

A side event will be a performance at 8 a.m. by the Silent Drill Squadron of the Philippine Air Force Officer Candidate School based in Fernando Air Base in Lipa City.

The kite flying event will also be highlighted by fun games.

A magician and a henna tattoo artist will also be present to provide fun and entertainment to the participants and the audience.

Freebies are in store for lucky spectators.

The kite flying competition will commence at 9 a.m. and will have two categories: the Traditional/Flat Kite category and the Figure Kite category.

The Traditional/flat kite is the 2D or two-faced kite that comes in any shape whereas the Figure Kite is the 3D kite with a theme and comes in realistic shapes.

There will be three major awards for each category and four special awards in each category namely: Kite del Pueblo-Favorite of the Crowd award; Chikiting Kite-smallest flying kite award and the Jumbo Kite- Biggest flying kite award.

Prizes for the three major winners will be P5,000, P3,000, and P2,000, respectively. Trophies will be given to first prize winners.

The winners for the special awards will receive a cash prize.

Each category will have three judges.

Criteria for the judging are 30 percent for design (which includes artistry-15 percent, uniqueness-15 percent); 35 percent for ease of flight/take-off and 35 percent for gracefulness.

Registration forms are available at the City Tourism Office, Sunken Garden at J.S. Alano Street.

For details call the prospective participants are advised to call the City Tourism Office through telephone number (062)992-3007.

The deadline of registration of entries is Friday April 29.

As part of the contest rules, all kites must carry the City Government’s Seal Sticker provided by the Organizer; the participant may choose any material he/she desires to use for his/her entry.

It may be paper, cloth, or any similar light material such as wood, bamboo, etc, and metal connectors.

Inexpensive material is encouraged.

A participant is entitled to register more than one (1) kite as entries to the competition; kites for each category will be made to fly in groups and the participants will be provided assistance by marshals during the launch; the kites for both categories shall be given a 5-minute launch period and a retry for failure to take-off; kites that fail to take-off the second time are disqualified; a kite that gets entangled may be flown again with clearance from the organizers and the winning kites will become the property of City Government of Zamboanga.

The Summer Festival is an annual activity initiated by the City Government through the City Tourism Division under the Office of the City Mayor.

The festival seeks to involve the community and provide wholesome entertainment to local residents as well as visitors during summer.

Popular events are repeated every year and new dimensions added. (Bong Garcia)