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Light wind no problem for Lewes kite flyers

58th festival brings crowd to state park, with strings attached
Ellie Dickson, left, and Kylie Dickson from Lewes are ready to launch their Artemis II kite. BILL SHULL PHOTOS
Bill Shull
April 4, 2026

Noballee Coleman, 8, launched her beautiful butterfly kite into the sky over Cape Henlopen State Park on Good Friday.  Even at her young age, she had been there before. Nobalee is a fifth-generation flyer at the 58th Great Delaware Kite Festival.

“My great-grandmother started bringing us down here, and I started bringing her when she was born; she was 11 months,” said her dad, Michael Coleman.

The festival has become an April tradition for many families.

The Sutters came from Wayne, Pa., with a pair of homemade kites flown by their daughters Charlotte and Audrey.  “Our family has been coming to Lewes 60 years. We came to the kite festival as kids,” said mom Laura Sutter.

When the wind picked up, so did the action. Rocket ships and fighter jets competed for airspace with unicorns and sharks.

No wind was no problem, because Chris Maxa from HQ Kites was there with his kite flight school to help.

“We all need help today; it’s a struggle with the wind. We do these festivals all over the place, and I’m happy to have a line of kids and give lessons and teach people, mostly the two-line stuff,” Maxa said.

Maxa said kite flying is a niche sport, like sailing or curling. He said the industry is not soaring, but it’s also “not going the way of the typewriter.”

The list of winners from the kite competition can be found at leweschamber.com.

 

Nobalee Coleman, 8, from Bel Air, Md., is a fifth-generation kite flyer. Her father, Michael, said his great-grandmother started bringing the family to the festival decades ago. The day started off calm, but when the wind picked up, the sky was filled a variety of kites. The annual event is hosted by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce.
Addison Rogsan from Millsboro works hard to keep her kite in the air.
John and Johnny Matarese from Newark have a blast getting their Minion kite into the air.
Elise Burgan from New Jersey races around to get her bird in the air at the 58th Great Delaware Kite Festival, held April 3 at Cape Henlopen State Park.
The Sutter family from Wayne, Pa., brought two homemade kites. Shown are (l-r) Michael, Charlotte, Audrey and Laura Sutter.
Arrison Grady from North Springfield, Va., launches his kite during the competition part of the event.
Mona Duwell, left, watches grandsons Ren and Haru count their Easter eggs after the hunt.
William Cook from Camden-Wyoming poses with the Easter bunny at the kite festival.
These kids had buckets full of fun – and Easter eggs – after the hunt. Shown are (l-r) Joni Bartley, Charlotte Bartley, Leilani Matthews and Kai Matthews.
The Schlotterback family from Wilmington started the kite festival at the Easter egg hunt. Josh, left, and Taylor Schlotterback are in back, with sons Beckham and Brooks.
There was no stopping kids when the Easter egg hunt started.
Fighter jets compete for airspace with a lot of other types of kites.
Once the wind kicked up, the kites soared over Cape Henlopen State Park.
Chris Maxa from HQ Kites was happy to help people get their kites into the air at his kite flight school.

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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, Eagles, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.

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