Kites flying high in the overcast sky.

The rain has been an issue for many events trying to get off the ground in 2022 and make their comeback after months of lockdowns, Harden’s Kite Festival was hoping to soar the sky after a rough few years.

Although the weather wouldn’t cooperate with the hard workers of the festival, Harden still showed their support and made for another successful kite festival despite the rain.

People were showing up in gumboots, walking through patches of mud, dripping with water as they trekked through the Harden Showgrounds and enjoyed the many things the festival still had to offer.

Filling up the grounds were kids’ activities, food trucks, market stalls, rides and of course, kite flying.

Lucy Targett was proud to say that weather couldn’t stop the Harden community from showing their support.

“It went really well considering the weather. I heard people had lots of fun,” she said.

“We’re really grateful for over 1500 people attending, if not more, we’re grateful for them to turn up on the day wearing their gum boots and umbrellas.

“We had community groups helping get tickets and we had volunteers just helping with operations on the day in and around doing little jobs and tasks.

“Our circus show it was packed to the brim. We’ve got some photos of everyone wanting to come and watch.

The circus shows were quite a hit.

“[The kites] looked beautiful.

It was hard to get them up in the air but kids loved actually seeing them up in the air.

Some kids even got their own kites in the air because there was just enough breeze to get in between the showers.

“The kite fliers absolutely loved coming to the event and we had a big kite by one of the kite fliers put into the main building, so that was on display.

“We had some free kite decorating inside undercover.

Kids can just decorate however they like.

“There was free face painting.

My sister’s telling me that was quite a popular kid’s attraction.

“There were queues out the door, she was busy all day face painting and that’s thanks to one of the locals in town, she did a fantastic job.

“I want to thank the sponsors for all the Kite Festival and all that came out.”

The Kite Festival wanted to thank their sponsors for the event: NSW Government, Hilltops Council, Graymont, Coppabella Wind Farm, HRDC, Bendigo Bank, Murrell Freight Lines, 2CA, 2CC, Roccy FM, 2LF, Bunnings, Get First Aid, The Old Bakery Guest House, The Young Witness, The Daily Advertiser, Yass Valley Times, KP Carmody and Co, Junee Independent, AM Steel, Essential Energy, IGA, Southern Tablelands Arts, Flemings, Harden Bearings and Hardware, Big W, Dance with Miss Em, SWSCU, Twomeys, Jacksons Bakery, HMCC, Harden-Murrumburrah Men’s Shed, and us, the Twin Town Times.

It was an event that wouldn’t be possible without the support and hard work of the community which saw results that reflected that very same support.

Jack Murray