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Log inWhere kites go to soar
Where kites go to soar
by Outspoken on Sun May 25, 2008 9:23 am
Where kites go to soar
Spring breezes let people put on their best demonstrations.
By LLOYD FERRISS
For Maine Sunday Telegram
Spring winds are blowing. Fields and beaches are uncrowded. After months of cold and snow, there's an itch to get outdoors.
In short, it's the perfect season for kite flying.
Unlike more developed states to the south, Maine has an abundance of places where it's easy to put up a kite.
Still, some kite-flying areas are truly the best.
To help you find that place of perfect wind and fine scenery, members of Greater Portland's Nor'Easters kite flyers club suggested a few favorites. Others helped, and we came up with the following list of five great locations.
If you're inclined to stray from these places, keep in mind that many beaches are closed to kite flying from April to mid-July because they are nesting areas for the Piping Plover.
You can fly kites now at these sites:
Fort Williams, Cape Elizabeth: "It's very pretty and a lovely place to fly kites," says Tony Heeschen, a member of the Nor'Easters Kite Flyers Club and a longtime fan of the 90-acre, town-owned Fort Williams Park.
The park is home to Portland Head Light, Maine's oldest lighthouse. Its sandy cove-shaped beach is perfect for putting up a kite, and flying is good regardless of wind direction.
If there's one drawback to the area, it's that everyone loves Fort Williams, which had almost 1 million visitors last year. Novice kite flyers should choose another place if crowds abound.
To reach Fort Williams, take Route 77 south to South Portland. Hang a left on Broadway, then a right on Cottage Road, which becomes Shore Road when you cross the Cape Elizabeth line.
Bug Light Park, South Portland: This small, 8.7-acre town park is Tony Otis' favorite kite-flying location. Otis, a member of the Nor'Easters, often brings 20 to 30 kites to Bug Light, many of them homemade.
Surrounded on two sides by Casco Bay, Bug Light Park has about four acres of grassy field. Of interest to visitors is the lighthouse from which the park takes its name, a structure believed to be the world's only lighthouse shaped like an ancient Greek monument.
To get to Bug Light, cross the Casco Bay Bridge and continue to the set of lights at the bridge's end. Follow Broadway east, then left onto Picket Street. After passing an industrial area, go right before the boat launch booth. Continue to the Bug Light parking lot.
Parsons Beach, Kennebunk: This beautiful beach and conservation area is a special place to watch your kite lift off. No dogs are allowed at the beach. Visitors should carry out their trash, and there are no bathroom facilities.
Parsons is a pretty beach with plenty of room to run. It's a place where horseback riders often pass in early morning. Parking is at the roadside.
"It is very near Rachel Carson Sanctuary, so someone could combine two family outings into one by stopping by there too," observes Judith Hunt, an artist and book illustrator from Kennebunk.
Take Route 9 out of Kennebunkport past Four Corners. Then go right on Parsons Beach Road.
More here: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=189410&ac=PHnws
Press Herald file/1998
Courtesy Joan Theriault
Press Herald file/2007
Spring breezes let people put on their best demonstrations.
By LLOYD FERRISS
For Maine Sunday Telegram
Spring winds are blowing. Fields and beaches are uncrowded. After months of cold and snow, there's an itch to get outdoors.
In short, it's the perfect season for kite flying.
Unlike more developed states to the south, Maine has an abundance of places where it's easy to put up a kite.
Still, some kite-flying areas are truly the best.
To help you find that place of perfect wind and fine scenery, members of Greater Portland's Nor'Easters kite flyers club suggested a few favorites. Others helped, and we came up with the following list of five great locations.
If you're inclined to stray from these places, keep in mind that many beaches are closed to kite flying from April to mid-July because they are nesting areas for the Piping Plover.
You can fly kites now at these sites:
Fort Williams, Cape Elizabeth: "It's very pretty and a lovely place to fly kites," says Tony Heeschen, a member of the Nor'Easters Kite Flyers Club and a longtime fan of the 90-acre, town-owned Fort Williams Park.
The park is home to Portland Head Light, Maine's oldest lighthouse. Its sandy cove-shaped beach is perfect for putting up a kite, and flying is good regardless of wind direction.
If there's one drawback to the area, it's that everyone loves Fort Williams, which had almost 1 million visitors last year. Novice kite flyers should choose another place if crowds abound.
To reach Fort Williams, take Route 77 south to South Portland. Hang a left on Broadway, then a right on Cottage Road, which becomes Shore Road when you cross the Cape Elizabeth line.
Bug Light Park, South Portland: This small, 8.7-acre town park is Tony Otis' favorite kite-flying location. Otis, a member of the Nor'Easters, often brings 20 to 30 kites to Bug Light, many of them homemade.
Surrounded on two sides by Casco Bay, Bug Light Park has about four acres of grassy field. Of interest to visitors is the lighthouse from which the park takes its name, a structure believed to be the world's only lighthouse shaped like an ancient Greek monument.
To get to Bug Light, cross the Casco Bay Bridge and continue to the set of lights at the bridge's end. Follow Broadway east, then left onto Picket Street. After passing an industrial area, go right before the boat launch booth. Continue to the Bug Light parking lot.
Parsons Beach, Kennebunk: This beautiful beach and conservation area is a special place to watch your kite lift off. No dogs are allowed at the beach. Visitors should carry out their trash, and there are no bathroom facilities.
Parsons is a pretty beach with plenty of room to run. It's a place where horseback riders often pass in early morning. Parking is at the roadside.
"It is very near Rachel Carson Sanctuary, so someone could combine two family outings into one by stopping by there too," observes Judith Hunt, an artist and book illustrator from Kennebunk.
Take Route 9 out of Kennebunkport past Four Corners. Then go right on Parsons Beach Road.
More here: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=189410&ac=PHnws
Press Herald file/1998
Courtesy Joan Theriault
Press Herald file/2007
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
