Dan's Papers - August 10, 2007 - A Beautiful Day at the Beach with Hundreds of Kites and No Wind

Every year, for the past 35 years, Dan's Papers has organized the Dan's Papers Kite Fly, arguably the most kid friendly event, no, THE most kid friendly event that takes place in the Hamptons during the summer. Organizing the event is risky to do because it is outdoors, which risks the chance of rain. But last Sunday, Dan's Papers along with The Town of Southampton, jointly sponsored this event, took the risk, and it ended up being one of the most beautiful summer days that we have had so far. It was perfect.

It wasn't completely perfect however and that's because you need more then just sunny weather to run a successful kite fly. You need, of course, to have some wind to get the kites up in the air, and unfortunately, last Sunday, there was absolutely no wind whatsoever. The wind was so dead that if the United States ran on wind power, there would have been a lot of blackouts. If we sailed our cars to work, there would have been a lot of traffic. If we needed to hang our clothes out to dry, okay you get the point.

Nevertheless, mobs of people came to Sagg Main Beach, the notorious, gorgeous beach that is the heart of Sagaponack, bringing with them hundreds of kites. Some were enormous, others were in the shapes of gyroscopes, while others had a superhero theme like Batman or Spiderman. It was truly a site to see. Going to this kite fly event is a reminder of why you love the Hamptons so much. The Jim Turner Band, a local favorite, set up their equipment on the beach and played rock and roll favorites. Face painters and jugglers came down and kids in their bathing suits lined up to be transformed from young girl to kitty cat, or from young boy to pirate, complete with a skulls and crossbones tattoo.

But there was no wind and as the Dan's Papers team of interns, including Fred Katz, Mike Vilensky, Evie Salomon, Alexandra Storch and Tim Walser along with Dan Rattiner and Assistant to the Publisher Joan Gray set up the registration table, they watched as attempt after attempt was made by children from all over the Hamptons trying to get their kites up in the air. This was going to be some Kite Fly.

Determined to do anything and everything possible to get a kite up, kids ran at full speed up and down the beach with their parents cheering them on as their kite would soar, for a brief moment, high up in the sky. After about three minutes however, the boy or girl constantly looking back to check to make sure that the kite was still up in the air, would begin to tire, slow down to a trot, and then watch in terror, as their kite would sadly sway like a feather in slow motion, down to the ground, hitting the sand with a distinctive plop.

And so, the children at the Dan's Papers Kite Fly learned an important lesson: you need wind to fly a kite.

There were some, who we have no idea how they did it, were able to get their kite up in the air. In total there were about twenty people, who by what appeared to be witchcraft, somehow did this. You could see some of the parents pulling out calculators and weather devices to determine if getting their kite up in the air was even possible. Well over a hundred kites remained on the ground, as one failure to launch was followed by another, and morale became low and the focus changed from not getting the kite up in the air, to getting recognition for having a really cool kite. In other words, getting an award. After all, that's what they came here for.

As the judges walked around, looking at kites both in the air and on the ground, one reported an offer of bribery. He was offered a bottle of wine if he would let the briber win something. Like any competitive sport, kite flying has people that are looking for that extra edge.

Although the lack of wind made for some disappointing flying, the other entertainments of the day made up for it. A magician drew a tremendous crowd as he mystified children of all ages and a caricaturist had a line of kids waiting to be turned into a cartoon. Everybody at the Kite Fly was acting neighborly and as if they were all life long friends. The Kite Fly is one of the best events that happen out in the Hamptons because it draws out the best in people. It makes you feel like you are a part of a community, it makes you feel like you are a part of something special. And the reason it makes you feel that way is because when you are at the Kite Fly, you are a part of something special. After all of the running, face painting, swimming, singing, dancing, laughing and smiling was over, the kids all headed down to the ice cream truck to get a lick.

It was good to be a kid on Sunday in Sagaponack.

Here is a complete list of the vendors who donated gifts, we thank you.

Classroom Connection, Hana Nails & Spa, Noel Gift Shop, The Wharf Shop, Kited of the Harbor, Bay Burger, Vincenzo's, Conca d'Oro, Candy & Flowers, East Hampton Bowling Alley, Scoop du Jour, Gubbins, Bookhampton, Second Star to the Right, Espo's Surf and Sport, Twice Upon a Bagel, the Fairway Restaurant, Foody's, The Fudge Company, Stevenson's Toys, Sip n' Soda, Maggie Moo's Ice Cream, Amazing Parties, Southampton Driving Range, Splish Splash Amusement Park and the Atlantis Marine World Aquarium