Kite World Centered On OC

OCEAN CITY - The resort will kick off the season early by painting the sky with very color under the sun at the Maryland International Kite Exposition (M.I.K.E.), set for April 24-26.

The festival will be showcasing a spectacular cast of kite flyers from all over the country. Thousands of spectators will watch giant kites, as big as a city bus, fly high above the Ocean City skyline.

In addition, stunt teams will perform amazing acrobatic maneuvers all in sync to the delight of the crowds. One such team is iQuad, who are four precision kite flyers and the Thunderbirds of the kiting world, all flying four line kites in perfect formation.

Team iQuad is a group of dedicated flyers of the Revolution kite who came together in the spring of 2006 with one goal in mind - the promotion of quad team flying. It's been a mainstay of European kite flying for many years, starting back in the 1990s in England and eventually spreading to a handful of countries throughout Europe with various groups. Composed of fliers from all over the world, iQuad is primarily composed of eight core fliers but also incorporates other able fliers into mega flies any chance they get.

The iQuad team enjoys traveling to events all over the country, demonstrating sport kiting and promoting a family pastime. Among their team members, they have some of the top dual line pilots in North America.

'Thousands of spectators will experience the thrill of watching sport kite demonstrations and get the opportunity to meet the greatest kite flyers in the world. Visitors will understand why Ocean City is the Kite Capital of the World,' said Jay Knerr of the Kite Loft. 'Ocean City is one of the best places in the world to showcase kites. It's home to the world's largest kite retailer (Kite Loft) and now to America's most exciting kite festival. Hundreds of kite fliers from east coast clubs and sport kite competitors from around the country will fill the sky with an explosion of color, a photographer's dream come true.'

Along with the iQuad demonstrations all day Friday through Sunday, events include free sport kite lessons and a 'how to fly a kite' field offered in front of the Kite Loft on Saturday and Sunday; free children's candy drops; guest kite fliers with giant kite exhibitions coordinated by Susan Gomberg of Gomberg Kite Productions; rev games with quad kites; featured kite clubs, such as Wings Over Washington, the Maryland Kite Society, the Lehigh Valley Kite Society, the South Jersey Kite Fliers, Keystone Fliers and the Richmond Air Force, showing their kites from 1^st to 5^th streets; and a live performance by Sky Dog Band at the Kite Loft on Saturday.