ST. GEORGE — The 16th Annual Dixie Power Kite Festival returns April 18, an event for the whole family, held on the golf course at SunRiver St. George, 4210 Bluegrass Way in St. George.
The Kite festival rewards school children who have completed a specified amount of reading during the school year, and raises money for Washington County schools and teachers.
Attendees can expect a fun-filled day at SunRiver Golf Course with family and friends, Kite Festival Manager Stella Iverson said.
Beneath hundreds of kites flying in the beautiful skies across the green lawns of SunRiver Golf Course, there will be over 50 vendors.
Food vendors will offer pizza, snow cones, cotton candy, funnel cakes, hamburgers and a variety of other festival choices.
Live entertainment will play throughout the day offered by school choirs and local dance groups.
There will be games, train rides, face painting, inflatables and books to buy – it is about reading, after all.
At 6 p.m. a live Polynesian concert will be performed by Siva Pasefika, led by April Te’o Keil, a St. George resident who grew up in Samoa. The group will offer authentic and contemporary Polynesian style dancing from Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, Hawaii and Tonga.
The festival offers free admission, free parking, free shuttle rides, and an area with free children’s games as well as other play and game options for $1 and $2 each.
In addition to kites for the kids that earned them, there will be kites for sale at the festival.
Pam Graf, Washington County School District Foundation director, said they follow the same idea each year, not making it complicated, because they want the kids and their families to have a wonderful time flying kites, playing games, eating and enjoying the entertainment.
“My favorite part of the festival is to watch the kids come and spend the day with their families,” Graf said. “They spend most of day there.”
A small change this year is the festival offering students who turned in their completed reading chart three options: a kite, a book or a $10 voucher to use on the bounce houses or the train.
“Students have achieved their goal and are excited to collect their reward,” Iverson said. “The look on their faces is priceless. Our main goal here is to give the children an opportunity and desire to read. We feel that this will be a lifetime benefit for them and make it easier for them to move to a higher education and succeed in their careers.”
“I invite everyone to come out to support this festival,” Graf said. “All of the proceeds from it are donated back to the Foundation to support literacy programs in Washington County School District. To date we have received over $347,000. This is a win win for everyone. The families are having a great day together, the elementary schools are earning money for their school, and most importantly, kids are sharpening up on their reading skills.”
The Washington County School District Foundation will have a book booth at the festival, selling books for $1.
Event details and resources
- What: Dixie Power Kite Festival
- When: Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Where: SunRiver Golf Course, 4210 Bluegrass Way, St. George
- Dixie Power Kite Festival website | Twitter
Related posts
- Colorful kites, eager kids raise $40,000 for school district at Dixie Power Kite Festival; STGnews Videocast – 2014
- Dixie Power Kite Festival celebrates 15 years promoting reading – 2014
- Elementary success: Earth, wind, sun, kites and $30K raised – 2013
- Washington County School District Foundation to receive $30,000 from Kite Festival – 2011
- Kite Festival Rewards Kids, Raises Funds and Delights Community – 2011
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