photo by Marcus Frazier

Kite enthusiast Ronnie Bryant holds on tightly as his 8-foot bowl kite pulls in the wind on the Vidalia Riverfront.

Kite enthusiasts take advantage of river breeze

By Marcus Frazier (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Monday, October 8, 2007

VIDALIA — Sunny skies and free time sounds like a great day to most but for kite enthusiasts Ronnie Bryant and Carolyn Weir it takes a good strong wind to complete things.

At least one Sunday out of the month during cooler weather and once a week in warmer months the friends make it a point to get out and fly.

And what better place than the Vidalia Riverwalk Bryant said.

“The land’s flat, (there’s a) small amount of trees, and the wind will come in off the water.”

When the tension on the kite string loosens Bryant studies the trees that appear motionless to a lazy eye and says, “Here it comes, I can see it! Here it comes!”

And the kites race back into the air snatching the hands of its flyers.

The kites that these two are flying aren’t just your everyday kites. Although the pair does fly the smaller single line kites their favorites are the dual-line sport kites and more unique flow form kites.

“This one’s more like exercise, some places you’ll find people jogging with them strapped to their back, it a big difference from the others,” Bryant said of his eight foot bowl kite.

“The dual line sport kites are the ones you see people doing tricks with in competitions, it looks kind of like synchronized jet flying,” Bryant said.

“My dad flew airplanes and I took some flying lessons but that got expensive. I started flying the radio-controlled planes, but when you crash that’s a couple of hundred dollars crashing. With the kites I can go home and make the repairs myself.”

Bryant and Weir are both veteran kite flyers and builders with about 24 years of experience between them. They sometimes build their kites using ripstop nylon and wooden dows, carbon fiber or fiberglass for the spars or sticks. They even do the detailed sewing.

“I’ve been flying about 17 years and building for about 15.” Weir said. It was when I saw four people flying dual-line kites in unison and after that I went out and got my first dual-line. Since then I’ve flown in competitions and even on a five man team,” she said.

“Other than the relaxation I enjoy the excitement I see on peoples faces when they see us out,” Weir said.

So if the weather is good and the winds blow strong you may find colorful flying objects floating over the levee and Bryant and Weir under them truly enjoying their day.