Dan's Papers 38th Annual Kite Fly At Sagg Main

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Dan's Papers 38th Annual Kite Fly At Sagg Main

On a beautiful August Sunday evening, Dan's Papers held the 38th annual "Kite Fly" at Sagg Main Beach, our favorite beach in the Hamptons. Peter and I had already spent four hours at the beach shooting the surfers, enjoying the sea breeze and having a picnic. When the "mayor of Sagg Main" told us they were expecting over 100 kite fliers after 5:00, we raced home, showered, changed camera chips and batteries and returned by 5:15 p.m.

Families that had been at the beach in the afternoon were still parading off the beach and into the parking lot as kite-fliers were streaming from the parking lot to the beach - a changing of the guard if-you-will. By our observation the kite fliers were split in age between the very young (8-10 years old), to the "older" (40-50 year old) - and of course there are always some in between.

Kites are no longer triangles of "paper and string" but are built of various plastics making them resilient and wind-worthy, and the shapes can apparently be anything that a creative imagination and sturdy wallet can conjure. Eagles, tigers, aeroplanes, geometric dynamic phenomena, dragons, sharks, dolphins, butterflies, and even Nemo were all soaring in the skies above Sagg Main Beach in a gorgeous constant onshore breeze - not too light to make it too challenging to keep the kites up, but not too stiff either. It was a perfect evening for flying a kite.

Music: "Let's Go Fly a Kite", by David Tomlinson, Dick Van Dyke, and the Londoners, from the soundtrack of Mary Poppins

Even as we were leaving, there was once again a line to get in to the parking lot, exactly as there is on sunny weekend days. Families were bringing picnic dinners, folding tables and barbecue grills, and more and more kiters were bringing their gliders to test the winds. Next year, we'll plan to stay longer.

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