This weekend marks what has traditionally become the last week of summer - Labor Day weekend. The long holiday weekend is also a special time for the community of Callaway, as hundreds of people come to town for the annual Callaway Kite Flight. This weekend, colorful kites of all shapes and sizes will fill the air east of town over Foster Smith Field for the 35th year.

The very first Kite Flight was held Aug. 31 - Sept. 2, 1991. The late Connie May, event organizer, reported in a Sept. 5, 1991, Courier article that “around 500 spectators were in town to view kites of all descriptions flown by amateurs and advanced enthusiasts alike at the Callaway Golf Course.” According to the article, the inaugural event drew between 35 and 40 kite-flyer registrations from across the area, as well as from Kansas, Colorado, and Iowa.

The smallest kite at the first Kite Flight was around six inches, while a string of 100 kites tied together was also flown on both days. May was also quoted in the article as saying that she had registered 257 spectators for prize giveaways, but nearly 500 were on hand to view the spectacle.

That first event also included a lip sync contest in the park on Saturday evening along with a watermelon feed.

As the Kite Flight marks its 35th anniversary, Kindle Rice has again taken on the role as chairperson and shared that the committee is looking forward to another great year for the Labor Day weekend event, Sept. 5-6. “We have more new fliers joining us this year, as well as the brilliant fliers we have had returning for years and years,” Rice shared. “They always put on a good show. When Nebraska weather cooperates anyway.”

There will also be vendors and other fun activities on the grounds of the Kite Flight, located four miles east of Callaway on Highway 40. “Smokin’ Double D’s out of Hershey will be back with all their crowd-pleasing food, and we have a couple of vendors serving up delicious cold drinks,” said Rice.

Other vendors on site will include Show Stopper Kites, Lemonade Shack, Permalinx Jewelry, Picture Pretty Kites, Becky’s Bakers, and Mad Maddies’ Drinks.

“With two kite vendors on site, if you don’t have a kite, they will certainly have something for sale to tickle the fancy of young and old, as well as some fun things to take home and put in your yard,” Rice added.

The fabulous face painter from Lifting Spirits Face Painting will be on site Saturday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., and the dunk tank is back for splashing good fun on Sunday from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Free color-your-own kite kits for the kids will also be offered. A tradition that has continued since the first event is the watermelon feed, which will be held both Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m., provided by Callaway Market. Kids can enjoy a ride on the barrel train from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night will feature the always popular night flight beginning at 9 p.m.

“My favorite part of the event is the night flight on Saturday evening,” said Rice. “Come support the American Legion with some delicious catfish and then head out to see the lights dancing in the sky.”

Callaway American Legion Post 59 will host a catfish fry at the American Legion on Saturday at 5 p.m., with proceeds going toward the American Legion Scholarship Fund. Commemorative T-shirts will be available on the grounds, with a portion of the sale of each shirt going to the Sandhills Cancer Fund.

In conjunction with the Kite Flight, a rough stock rodeo will be held on Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Seven Valley Rodeo Grounds. Gates for the ranch bronc and bull riding event will open at 6 p.m., with the performance starting at 7:30 p.m. A cowboy calcutta, mutton busting, and junior bulls will also be featured.

Admission for the Kite Flight is $5 for adults, $3 for kids, or $25 for the whole family.

“From little kites to fancy tricksters to kites as big as a semi, we always have a one-of-a-kind, must-see event,” Rice concluded. “We look forward to everyone joining us!”