PHOTOS: High-flyers at Gratwick

It was a colorful, breezy experience this past Sunday, as kites of all colors and many shapes and sizes dotted the blue skies at Gratwick-Riverside Park.

The park is home base for the Great Lakes Kitefliers Society, so naturally, when it held a picnic there, members all decided to go fly a kite.

Gratwick, on the shore of the Niagara River in North Tonawanda, can pretty much be counted on for ample wind to keep kites aloft.

“The breeze is smooth and steady most days as it comes across the wide-open expanse of the river,” the kitefliers’ website (glks.studio1.net) notes. “Few trees leave the area open with unencumbered wind, making this the best area to fly kites in all of Western New York. This is why we have made Gratwick our home field.”

Many of the kites are handmade or purchased from kite designers around the world. The society holds a flying event open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. on the first and third Sundays of each month. It invites people to “come out to watch us do our thing or join in.”

Members encourage people to “enjoy the show from your car … or get out and take a walk along our row of cars. Be sure to introduce yourself and ask any questions that you may have. We can help you fly that new kite or give advice on what kind of kite to buy.” (Photos by Karen Carr Keefe)