Eugene skies feature flights of fancy kites.

Byline: Jim Feehan The Register-Guard

A gust of wind was enough to send a 40-foot-tall inflatable turquoise teddy bear kite airborne Saturday behind Roosevelt Middle School.

Resembling a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade inflatable cartoon character, the bear in the air was joined by a colorful assortment of other kites - including trapezoidal, box and oversized birds - during a display by about a dozen local kite flying enthusiasts.

It was all part of an event commemorating National Kite Month sponsored by Associated Oregon Kites.

Generating the most ooohs and aaahs was the towering teddy bear kite owned by Rod Thrall of Hillsboro.

Flying kites and watching them glide takes people back to childhood, said Thrall, an Intel technician.

"You just can't be grumpy when you're flying a kite," he said.

In addition to the teddy bear, Thrall also has a 20-foot and a 12-foot teddy bear kite.

"I guess you could say I have a papa bear, a mama bear and a baby bear kite," Thrall said with a grin. Thrall has flown his menagerie at kite shows along the Oregon Coast and in Chicago and Toronto. He estimates he's invested $15,000 in his hobby.

Jun Zheng of Eugene was driving to Amazon Park when his 2-year-old daughter, Julia, shouted: "Daddy, there's green stuff in the sky."

The single-line kites of a generation ago have evolved into multiline kites that resemble oversized birds, reptiles and well, teddy bears.

"It's not like the old days when we had newspaper and some twine," said Steve O'Brien of Eugene, who began kite flying a little more than 20 years ago.

"It's ecological, politically correct and it's not polluting anything in the atmosphere," he said.

Harnessing the somewhat uncooperative wind was a bit challenging Saturday, said Judy Brown of Springfield. Eight- to 10-mph winds are favored, but kites can fly in 20-mph gusts, said Brown, who is the president of Associated Oregon Kites.

The 3- to 5-mph winds lacked the oomph to send Brown's 30-by-54-inch Betty Boop kite aloft.

The camaraderie of fellow kite enthusiasts and being outdoors drew Brown to the sport 15 years ago, she said.

"It was an inexpensive way to spend time with my kids outdoors," Brown said.

GO FLY A KITE

The American Kitefliers Association and the Kite Trade Association International declared March 27 through May 2 as National Kite Month.

The exact date and origin of the kite is not known, but it is believed that kites were first flown in China more than 3,000 years ago.

Benjamin Franklin used the aid of a kite to discover electricity.

The Wright brothers' early use of kites helped them invent the airplane.

Founded in 1964, the American Kitefliers Association boasts 4,000 members in 35 countries. For more information on kiting, visit the Associated Oregon Kites group's Web site at www.aka.kite.org.

CAPTION(S):

A 40-foot-tall kite, owned by Rod Thrall of Hillsboro, drops to say hello to Jun Zheng and his 2-year-old daughter Julia on Saturday.