Flying high in Hayden

HAYDEN - It's a bird, it's a plane - no, it's a kite. The blue skies over Broadmoore Park on Saturday were colored with superheroes, animals, butterflies, and other fully identified flying objects. It was the fourth annual Kite Festival, conducted by the city of Hayden, the Hayden Chamber of Commerce, and Spokane Teachers Credit Union.

HAYDEN - It's a bird, it's a plane - no, it's a kite.

The blue skies over Broadmoore Park on Saturday were colored with superheroes, animals, butterflies, and other fully identified flying objects.

It was the fourth annual Kite Festival, conducted by the city of Hayden, the Hayden Chamber of Commerce, and Spokane Teachers Credit Union.

The oval-shaped park is located in the middle of the Broadmoore Estates subdivision, which is north of Honeysuckle Avenue and east of Atlas Road.

There were 35 people who registered for the event, and more than 100 people who showed up for it, taking advantage

of the day's warm spring weather and comfortable breezes.

Mike Vanleeuwen, of Huntington Beach, Calif., who was up visiting family here, had a kite soaring easily at the end of 500 feet of string.

"It's a superman kite," he said. "It's made to fly."

Zac Olson of Hayden took his daughter, Jade, 7, to the event.

Jade Olson's kite wasn't staying aloft as easily as Vanleeuwen's, and was having trouble getting higher than the surrounding homes.

"I'm just trying to teach her not to run into other people," Zac Olson said.

Jade Olson, whose kite kept getting grounded, said she wished she had a Barbie kite.

Zac Olson said his daughter couldn't wait to come out to the event, which went from noon to 3 p.m.

"She really wanted to see the other kites," he said.

Participants in Saturday's event were eligible for kite awards such as best of show, largest, smallest, most colorful, best homemade and others.