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Newsletter - March 9, 2004
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Club Meeting and Kite Making Workshop
Sunday, March 28, 2004 from 1:00-4:30 p.m.
Humberstone Hall, 76 West Main Street,
Port Colborne, ON

The annual club meeting will be held on Sunday, March 28th from 1:00 to
4:30 p.m. at Humberstone Hall (our usual location) 76 West Main Street,
Port Colborne, ON. This hall is in the Port Colborne-Wainfleet Chamber of Commerce office.

The brief business meeting will include a report from the Directors on
the state of our finances, a recommendation for dues for 2004
(unchanged), confirmation of flying dates, beginning of planning for the 12th
Annual Canal Days Kite Festival and selection of new Directors to help
with planning for this flying season.

Following the brief meeting there will be a kite making workshop .  The
kite selected for our workshop is the Indian fighter kite .  This single
line kite type is one of the most challenging and diverse flying
instruments ever created.  The kite we will make will be of very high quality
and will be a real fine addition to your kite bag.

Vaino Raun will lead the workshop and provide background on the history
of the Indian fighter kite, a description of its flight characteristics
and the place it plays in the culture of India.

The kite  that members will build will have the traditional bamboo spine
and a leading edge spar of high tech carbon filament.  You will have a
choice of sail materials:  either light weight space age 'Orcon' or
colourful ripstop nylon.  The kites will be of high quality.

Since we are importing the bamboo spines from the NorthWest Fighter
Kite Group, the carbon filament from the Kite Studio in Pennsylvania,
and the ripstop from Ellen Reen of GLKS in New York,  there are costs
involved.  In addition, each kite kit will include waxed flying line
which is required for excellent control of the kite. This is also being
imported.  Thus, there will be a cost of $10.00 for each kite. 
Some of the costs of the kite are being subsidized by club funds.

Refreshments will be served at the meeting .  Plan to attend this great
kick off to the 2004 flying season.


Flying Dates for 2004:

All flying dates for 2004 are listed on the club's web site at:
www.windriders.niagara.com/events.html

For your immediate reference the dates are listed below:
         Sunday, April 25, 2004 - First Fly of the season.
         Sunday, May 30, 2004
         Sunday, June 27, 2004
         Sunday, July 25, 2004
         12th Annual Canal Days Kite Festival:
           -Sunday, August 1, 2004
         Sunday, August 29, 2004
         (Careful! August has five Sunday's.
         our club fly is held on the fifth Sunday this month.)
         Sunday, September 26, 2004
         Sunday, October 31, 2004
           - Final Scheduled Fly of the season.

The club flying field is located at Lakeview Park at the south end
of Elm Street, Port Colborne, ON. The park is located just east
of the Port Colborne General Hospital and next to Sugarloaf
Marina and Boat Harbour.


NWKA is a Recognized Affiliate Club of the AKA

Thanks to Vaino Raun, our club is registered as an affiliate
club of the AKA (American Kiterfliers Association) the world's
largest association of kitefliers and kite clubs.


National Kite Month - An Activity of the AKA

Each year the AKA and KTA (Kite Trade Association) sponsors
National Kite Month.  The events of AKA affiliate clubs are listed
for others to see and join in.  Major effort is expended by the AKA
and KTA to publicize National Kite Month in the news media.

Our club's April 25, 2004 fly is listed as a National Kite Month
special event.  http://www.nationalkitemonth.org/


Updates to NWKA Web Site

Some updates have been undertaken.  More are under way.  The
web site is located at www.windriders.niagara.com/

Please book mark this site for valuable information about our club.
New photo pages are being prepared to update the galleries that
are a couple of years old now.  They will be posted by the end
of March.  In addition some links need to be updated too.

You will be emailed about remaining changes to the site.

Ideas for the site are welcomed.  Be sure to point out the address
to people who may be interested in seeing us fly and perhaps in
joining our club.

Last year our site gathered just over 6,000 hits.  Many of them come
from around the world.

GLKS Annual Kite Auction - Saturday, March 13, 2004

Our friends in the Buffalo Club (Great Lakes Kitefliers Society) are
hosting their annual kite auction on Saturday, March 13, 2004
from 6:30 p.m. until all kites are sold around 10:30 p.m.

Held at the Polish Falcons Hall in Depew NY, this event is a
real kick-off to the new flying season.  If anyone is interested in
attending this fun event where you meet great friends and get
some real bargains in spirited bidding, visit the GLKS site at
http://www.fly.to/glks and click on the Auction link for complete
details.

For additional specific information you can email the GLKS
webmaster, Ted Shaw at:  dancer2@adelphia.net


Spring is Almost Here !

The thought of warm, sunny Spring days with nice breezes and
a fine kite at the end of the line brings a smile to almost
everyone. 

I always think of the heightened sense of awareness I
experience each spring as I feel the tug of the kite line and
listen to the wind singing on the string.  I also enjoy the
renewed friendships of all the kiters as we all come out of
hibernation and greet each other once again!

Please be sure to try to join us for the opening event - our
meeting and workshop on Sunday, March 28th.  We look
forward to seeing everyone again!

Happy flying, everyone! - Bob White, Newsletter Editor

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