Denver Direct: One Sky One World Kite Fly for Peace, This Sunday


Thursday, October 7, 2010

One Sky One World Kite Fly for Peace, This Sunday


Dreamworks Studios “How to Train Your Dragon” to Sponsor
25th Anniversary One Sky One World Kite Fly for Peace in Denver

For 25 years, Denver resident Jane Parker-Ambrose has been promoting world peace and respect for the environment through the One Sky, One World Kite Fly; an event that happens around the globe on the second Sunday in October. But this year a few dragons will be crashing the party. In celebration of the October 15th DVD and Blu-ray release of “How To Train Your Dragon”, Dreamworks Studios has announced it will be a major Sponsor of the 25th Anniversary One Sky One World. The movie, has been a smash hit since it it was released in the spring of 2010 and tells the story of a Viking boy who befriends his village’s traditional enemy, a “Night Fury” dragon. “I like the message of peace and cooperation that the movie supports,” says Parker-Ambrose. “Instead of killing the dragons, the people learn to work with them. It’s just the kind of ideals our event supports. There are no boundaries when it comes to promoting world frendship and respect for life on earth.”

People of all ages are invited to enjoy food and entertainment, kite-making and kite-flying. This year’s event will feature the iQuad, a stunt-flying team that performs choreographed kite routines, and celebrity kite flier Alan Sparling. Sparling is famous for flying hundred-foot kites in unusual shapes including an octopus and a pre-historic trilobite.

Kicking off the 25th Annual One Sky One World International Kite Fly will be the Children’s Pet Parade for Peace. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. from the Children’s Playground area at Stapleton’s Central Park and proceed east to end of the Park and west back toward the playground area. Included in the Parade this year will be pets, kite-fliers, well-known characters like Ben Franklin and Mary Poppins and a giant cupcake float. Four hundred free cupcakes will be given out to participants in honor 25 years of kites flying for peace and the environment every second Sunday of October.

Performing at OSOW will be the precision iQuad Kite Team from Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. The group has astounded audiences world-wide. The kites the team uses are Revolutions (also known as “Revs”) – specialized, quad (four) line kites originally designed by Joe Hadzicki in 1987. Above and beyond any other quad line kite, Revs are truly multi-directional in the sky with the ability to fly forward, backward, sideways, adjusting speed, and even stopping on a dime to hover nearly motionless in mid-air. While some maneuvers require a certain wind range, iQuad has successfully performed as a team in all conditions from zero wind (indoors) all the way up to nearly 50 miles per hour. (See: www.teamiquad.com )

One Sky One World was inspired by Colorado native and Denver resident Jane Parker-Ambrose. Jane opened the city’s first kite store, Sky Scrapers in the Highlands in 1975. She was inspired by the appearance of Haley’s Comet to create a “Peace Comet” kite. And in 1985, during a trip to the Soviet Union, she presented this kite to the Soviet Women’s Peace Committee in Moscow. This people-to-people gesture became the cover story of Soviet Life Magazine in July, 1986. As a result, more than 10,000 people in 10 countries were inspired to fly kites on the second Sunday of October. Since then hundreds of thousands of people in hundreds of locations in more than 35 countries to participate in what has become “World Kite Day.”

One Sky One World believes that public education about the culture, history, art, craft, recreation, technology and science of kites generates a greater sense of global community. Participation in OSOW events promotes the enjoyment of nature and greater respect for the environment; leads to respect for cultural diversity; the understanding of and friendship between people at home and around world; and an appreciation of all life on earth.

One Sky One World is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Denver. For more information about the festival, to volunteer or for vendor information please call 720-334-4508, email [email protected]. Please visit OSOW at www.oneskyoneworld.org.