Sky sprinkled with color for Lynch Canyon Kite Festival

May 16-There's usually one day each year when drivers heading west on Interstate 80 can look up and spot a flutter of bright shapes - coral pink, turquoise, and banana yellow - with ribbon-like tails dancing in the wind. This is because the annual Lynch Canyon Kite Festival has arrived.

Families from across Solano County made their way to the canyon Saturday for the 18th annual yearly festival, hosted by the Solano Land Trust and Solano County Parks. With its wide open space and famously strong winds, Lynch Canyon offers the perfect setting for hundreds of high-flying kites.

"I've been coming here since my son was about 2 years old - he's now 6," said Vallejo resident Bernadette Algar, a longtime attendee. "I always try to make it because it's such a fun event and I love it."

This year marked Algar's fourth consecutive visit, making the festival a well-anticipated tradition in her household.

"My son loves it, even though he left me with his kite," she laughed, wrangling with a cartoony kite during a strong gust of wind. "I love it because you get outdoors - it's a free event, it's fun, local, and you get to be a part of nature."

Alongside Algar, flying a rainbow tie-dyed bird kite of his own, was her 11-year-old nephew, Jireh Holokahi.

"I think I've been coming here since I was maybe 5 or younger," he recalled. "I enjoy coming out here and just flying the kites."

For as long as he can remember, Holokahi said, the festival has been a tradition in his home, especially since his mother, Dianna Holokahi, works as the engagement specialist for the Solano Land Trust. When asked about his favorite part of the festival, Holokahi didn't hesitate.

"The food," he said.

The festival included a massive 26-foot pink octopus flown by Stockton resident Anthony Eichele of the Central Valley Kite Fliers, while vendors included Bula Pies Fiji and a caffeine cart from Unleashed Coffee, a Vacaville-based business known for roasting small-batch artisan beans.

While he said he most looks forward to grabbing something to eat, watching other people fly their kites - and getting the chance to practice doing the same - is part of the fun.

Even with the occasional struggle against the 14-mile-per-hour winds, Holokahi and other attendees appeared to be having a great time. And as for those who have never attended, he encouraged residents to make an attempt next year.

"Come get a kite, or bring your own, and you can sit down, get some food, have a little picnic somewhere out here, and just have a fun time," Holokahi said.

Attendees of all ages - including one as young as 10 months old - watched the skies in awe as dozens of colorful shapes took flight.

Vacaville resident Carol Landry, attending with her daughter Olivia Ortega, was among the few first-time visitors.

"I've been living here a long time and I never even knew this was here," Landry said. The pair helped 4-year-old Bobby Paine keep his kite in the air, while Ortega carried Axton, just 10 months old, in a back carrier.

"This is our first time we've been out here," Landry said, describing the visit as a spontaneous decision that turned out to be great. "My daughter had some kites from maybe a year or two ago, but they had never taken them out. So we were like, 'Well, let's take them out now - it's a good day, nice weather.'"

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