It’s double the fun this Saturday, as Cary celebrates Arbor Day and its annual Kite Festival, to welcome spring!
First up, take home a free tree as part of Arbor Day festivities that include a downtown tree scavenger hunt, tree-themed kids’ craft, and the official Cary Arbor Day Proclamation by Mayor Harold Weinbrecht.
The fun runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the historic Ivey Ellington House, located at 135 W. Chatham St.
Learn from the town’s certified arborist as he demonstrates tree planting techniques and fields questions from the audience, and get more info at booths staffed by local environmental groups.
Local eateries will offer refreshments for purchase, and you can take part in a tree dedication honoring a Cary Hometown Spirit Award winner.
If it rains on Saturday, the event will move to the Cary Arts Center; check townofcary.org for more info.
Kite Festival
Kids of all ages will love Cary’s annual Kite Festival, beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, at Fred G. Bond Metro Park.
Free and open to all, the fest includes music, concessions, and a kite-flying contest complete with certificates and awards in quite a few categories, for all experience levels.
Categories include Quickest Takeoff; Best Crash; Best Tangle; Oldest Flyer; Youngest Flyer; Most Unique Kite; Best Homemade Kite; Most Generations Flying a Kite; Most Un-flyable Kite; Flyer From Beyond; Longest Kite Tail; Largest Kite; Smallest Kite; and Kite Farthest Out.
Registration for the contest is free from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and an expert kite flyer will be on hand to offer kite-flying tips and help with mending kites.
Here’s the schedule:
12:30 p.m., Contest registration begins
1 p.m., Welcome
1:15 p.m., Official countdown to start for all kite flyers, with awards for quickest takeoff
2:30 p.m., Announcement of award-winners
Make-Your-Own Kite Classes
Before the fest, as space allows, kids can take a make-your-own kite class!
Kite Making Celebration is for ages 3 to 5 with an adult, and runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m., at Bond Park Community Center. Fees are $14 for Cary residents and $18 for non-residents. Register at townofcary.org or in person at any Town of Cary staffed facility.
Running simultaneously will be Kite-Flying Capers, for ages K5-11, also at the Bond Park Community Center and with the same registration info and fees. For more information on either class, call (919) 462-3970.
Rain date for the Kite Festival is Sunday, March 22.
