By Jesi YostFor Digital First Media
The skies filled with bright colors and many varieties of kites for the 31st annual Go Fly a Kite! Day on April 28 at the Youth Recreation Facility in Bern Township.
“We love Fly a Kite Day!” said Christian Ruhl, 6, who attends Go Fly a Kite Day every year with his Nana and PopPop.
Steve Messner was named Newspaper Kite Division Grand Champion for the send year in a row.
Children could make their own kites in the Sled Kite Workshop and fly kites. Also, professional kiters demonstrated their kite flying skills but sometimes even the pros get their kite tangled in a tree.
Go Fly a Kite! Day and Healthy Kids Day is presented by the Berks County Parks and Recreation Department and the YMCA of Reading & Berks County. The festival was once again combined with a county-wide Healthy Kids Day organized by local YMCAs with health and wellness information and screenings, healthy food, and games. The Youth Recreational Facility complex was filled with activities for young and young-at-heart.
Celia Hauk, 6, of Mt. Penn, flew her dragon, unicorn, heart, ‘sled kite’ she made at Go Fly a Kite Day in the Sled Kite Workshop.
Abigayle Witinski, 10, of Leesport completed a scavenger hunt.
Brianna Ney, 8, of Bernville decorated a stone with a kite she plans to hide as part of Berks County Rocks! YMCA of Reading & Berks County provided the rocks and Reading Public Library volunteered to run the rock decorating booth.
Reading Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center students volunteered to paint faces.
At the Healthy kids, Farm to Fork (Plant/grow your own veggies) stand, Jennifer Brooks, Environmental Education Program Manager for Berks County Parks Department, helped children plant tomatoes and chocolate sweet peppers in compostable newspaper pots. Farm to Fork is a program designed to help kids make the connection between food and where it comes from.
