4 year old Lachlan Davis is excited to be going to the Kite Festival Today!

The Harden Kite Festival will be celebrating 10 years this Saturday October 10 at The Harden Racecourse. The family orientated event has become a must see and do on the October calendar for locals and families from surrounding towns. The event attracts thousands of people each year, and brings income to local businesses alike. This year the organisers will be looking to engage with the crowd and break a world record by lining as many ducks up as possible in a row. The Ducks-in-a-Row World Record Challenge is a special event to celebrate the 10th festival. The ducks, being made by the local Men’s Shed, will be distributed locally as well as being available on the day. Sign a duck, add it to the tail and be a part of this fun event.

Kite flying competitions for all ages and skill levels will be held and you can bring your own kite or buy one on the day. There will be prize money and lucky draws to be won and free helium balloons and face painting available with Deborah Lane providing her artistic skills. This year there will be two major free attractions with both activities fully supervised and run by qualified staff. They include Planet Entertainments Bungee Trampoline between 11am – 4pm. The trampoline is a first for the festival and is being sponsored by Sibelco Australia. Base Zero’s rock climbing wall is back again in 2015 and will be operating from 11am – 4pm. The kite festival will also have Jumping castles and a merry-go-round for the kids. A classic vehicle display for car enthusiasts and plenty of food and market stalls.

Regulars, The Phat Boyz will be on the big stage to entertain the crowd with their live band. The following activities are also planned. 11.00am Odds & Ends Challenge opens The Kite Festival provides an interesting variety of materials and patterns from which to construct your own unique kite. You have all day to make the most spectacular kite you can, but beware, kites must actually fly if you’re going to take part in the last competition of the day 11:30am Best home-made Kite – junior & teens sections This is the chance for the kite you’ve spent the last year, or the last day, making to show off its tricks. Any size, any design but must be home-made and must fly. Since the sky really is the limit, let your imagination guide you!

12 noon Family Relay will take place. Now here is a challenge – get four members of your family together ( two children and two adults or three children and one adult) and enjoy the challenge of trying to keep a kite airborne while running our relay course. Very loud encouragement is highly recommended, if only to produce enough hot air to keep the kites up! 12.45pm Kite in a Barrel This is one for young adults and up. A test of precision flying against the clock. We provide the kite and you have to fly and drop it into the barrel in the stipulated time. Not as simple as it sounds, so be sure you get some practice. 3:00pm Ducks-in-a-Row World Record Challenge Bring your supplied duck or get one at the Competition Tent, sign it with your name and date and be part of the record. 3:00pm Kites with longest tail Kite and tail must fly for approved time. Tail can be added during the competition but no lifting devices are permitted i.e.  no lifter kites and nothing attached to the tail other than the single line hand held kite being used  to fly it. That is one kite, one tail. Must be single line, must be hand held. No string/wool only tails. Odds & Ends Challenge closes Here’s where you show off your day’s work in building a kite from scrap. The only stipulations are that it be made entirely from the scrap provided and, of course, that it fly. First kite to fly wins. 3:10pm Competition draws First name to be drawn out of the barrel will be the winner. Sibelco Australia Lucky Kite Draw Bendigo Bank Lucky Gate Draw Conditions apply to all comps, please visit the Competition Tent to register. This is an alcohol-free event. Entry by donation.