Arts-Entertainment Source: Lynch Canyon kite festival to take flight

May 12-The sky may not be filled with birds or planes.

But come Saturday, it will be filled with kites of all shapes, colors, and sizes for the 18th annual Lynch Canyon Kite Festival in Fairfield.

The free event is sponsored by Solano County Parks and Potrero Hills Landfill.

Parking will also be complimentary.

The festival last year drew in 200 people throughout the day, either to picnic and watch the kites, or to fly their own with friends and family.

The Lynch Canyon Kite Festival was founded by Mike Rydjord, a C-5 and U.S. Airways pilot and a flight instructor at Travis Air Force Base, who passed away in 2013.

"Rydjord started the festival to share his love of air, wind, land, and flying. He loved helping first-time kite flyers get airborne and discussing technique with more experienced flyers," said Laura Livadas, development director at Solano Land Trust.

"This is a good way to get people to come outside, spend the day flying kites with friends and loved ones. It's good to unplug and be outside with the community, get fresh air, and watch the kites," added Livadas.

For those who do not already own a kite, Old City Kites will be selling kites on the day of the event.

Central Valley Kite Flyers will be flying large kites throughout the day.

Bula Pies Fiji food truck will be on site to sell savory and dessert pies and sausage rolls inspired by traditional Fijian and Polynesian flavors.

Guests are encouraged to bring their own kite, bottled water, a picnic lunch, boots or "sturdy closed-toe shoes," and protection from the sun, wind, fog, and rain.

And, of course, friends and family.

"It's through donations and support that we can have these complimentary free events to the local community. Some years are smaller, some years are bigger, or we get rained out. But this is all about bringing the community together and getting out there," said Livadas.

Lynch Canyon is an open space park owned by Solano Land Trust and operated in partnership with Solano County Parks.

Solano Land Trust will also be sponsoring 20 kites for Watch Me Grow Inc., a Vallejo-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering children and families through community resources, support services, and educational programs.

To ensure that the environment and wildlife are preserved, the event will take place in an open area near the trails, away from wildlife and natural habitat.

"We're very cognizant of space. We're not going off-trail where it's affecting the land at all. We're still going to protect the natural habitat and environment," said Livadas.

Lividas added that the festival takes place in the middle of the month as opposed to the first Saturday of the month because of the rain.

"We were getting rained out more than usual, that's why we've pushed it out a couple more weeks," said Lividas.

20 volunteers will help manage parking or direct people to a spot to fly their kite safely.

Docents - or educators - will also be out to talk about Lynch Canyon and what the space has to offer outside of the festival.

"People do seek out our free community events, knowing that they can get outside on land and enjoy the open air," said Livadas. "Even if they venture out of the kite festival to take a hike, that's still important to us."

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