In June of 1752 Benjamin Franklin began to study the atmosphere with kites, which led to extensive meteorological work that continued for 150 years, until the airplane was developed. In June of 2007, Pagosa Springs, CO held its first annual kite day in honor of the experiments that Benjamin Franklin performed.

Benjamin Franklin’s famous experiment was done on a stormy day, full of wind, rain and lightning. The weather could not have been more different for the participants of Kite Day. Clear skies, warm weather and very little wind had these flyers running their heart out to put their kites in the air. While there may not have been much wind, enthusiasm was strong and the turnout for this event was far greater than Kimberley Swinney, coordinator, anticipated.

This could be partially because of the tremendous job done by sponsor Rainbow Printing who supplied all the posters to advertise the event or maybe because no one was left without a kite thanks to the event’s other sponsor, Pagosa Candy Company, who provided free kites for all those who did not have one.

The great turnout made the judging even more difficult for judges Kate Goldsworthy (Away with Words), Gina Willis (Coyote Hill Lodge) and Roxanne Schick (Artyrox Graphic Design). Four different awards in four different age categories made for many tough decisions for these judges. See a complete list of winners following this article.

Along with the kite flying, other vendors and community support organizations had booths set up offering other fun activities and information for the public.

Even if the weather provided skies that were too calm for easy kite flying, the first annual Pagosa Spring’s Kite Day was a huge success.