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Great Delaware Kite Festival is fun for frequent flyers

All eyes on the sky for 57th event at Cape Henlopen State Park
Laurie Bliss, left, and Remington Foltz of Millsboro brought a ship-shaped kite to sail in the breeze. BILL SHULL PHOTOS
Bill Shull
April 20, 2025

If there was ever a perfect day to go fly a kite, it was April 18.

There was sun and just the right amount of wind to get dozens of kites in the air over Cape Henlopen State Park for the 57th Great Delaware Kite Festival. It was the first kite festival held since 2022.

The event was co-sponsored by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce and the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation.

Louise Rathfon is a frequent flyer.

“I was born and raised in Lewes, and I was at the very first kite festival. There are a lot more people now,” she said.

Rathfon said one of the kids she was with had an American flag kite that reached 500 feet.

There were kites shaped like birds, fighter jets, and dragons.

Leslie and Juan Ramos from Bridgeville brought a homemade kite with a unique backstory.

“This is actually a design that they make in his country, Guatemala,” Leslie said. “He and his friends would make these when they were younger.”

Even though it looked like a jellyfish in the air, they said it was really nothing in particular.

The Ramoses won the award for largest kite.

The full list of winners will be posted at leweschamber.com.

 

Paul Nicholson from Magnolia was a first-time flyer at the kite festival. His multicolored kite joined many others in the air over Cape Henlopen State Park for the 57th annual Great Delaware Kite Festival. Sunshine and a nice breeze made for perfect flying conditions April 18.
There were plenty of fighter jet kites, but Richard Cairncross from Newtown Square, Pa., won the award for the highest-flying kite, with a much simpler aviation design.
Cole Roth, Stephanie Mowbray and Madi Mowbray from Millsboro brought a butterfly kite for their first time at the festival.
Anybody could come and enjoy the 57th annual Lewes Kite Festival at Cape Henlopen State Park, no strings attached – except on the kites.
Leslie and Juan Ramos from Bridgeville won the award for largest kite. It is just like the ones Juan grew up with in his native country, Guatemala. It looked like a jellyfish in the air, but they said it really wasn’t designed to be anything in particular.
These frequent flyers had a variety of kites. Shown are (l-r) Alex Ezell with the stars and stripes, Keller McCarty with the shark and Colin Ezell ready for takeoff with the Blue Angels.
Charlie Choi from Lewes works hard to get his kite in the air. He did a great job, since he won second place for best store-bought kite.
Logan Strong from Lewes had fun walking through a field of flags at the kite festival.
Dragons were popular designs at the kite festival.
There were dozens of kites of all shapes and sizes in the air at all times. The weather was perfect, with plenty of sunshine and just the right amount of wind.
Some kites looked like birds, not to be confused with the many birds that shared the air space.
Colt Widener from Easton, Pa., piloted a USAF Thunderbirds kite.
Isaiah Moise of Kensington, Md., looks cool with his shades on as he flies a parrothead kite.
A young kite watcher is mesmerized by what was flying overhead.

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Bill Shull has been covering Lewes for the Cape Gazette since 2023. He comes to the world of print journalism after 40 years in TV news. Bill has worked in his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He came to Lewes in 2014 to help launch WRDE-TV. Bill served as WRDE’s news director for more than eight years, working in Lewes and Milton. He is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University. Bill is an avid aviation and wildlife photographer, and a big Penn State football, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.

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