April— -June June 2013 2013
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April— -June June 2013 2013 WKA — a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people know how much fun it is to fly kites! For the latest news check our website: wka-kiteflyers.org A Museum of Sound Body and Mind, Honoring Our Founder—Kay Buesing By: Chelsea Libby As the new executive director of the World Kite Museum, words are why the World Kite Museum has chosen to honor Kay I’m stepping into the large and intimidating shoes of our by bestowing on her the title of Director Emeritus. museum founder, Mrs. Kay Buesing. We recently held a donor Concomitant to this honor, we have created an endowment fund reception at the museum as the first event to honor and thank this in her name. When I asked Kay what she foresaw for this fund, incredible woman, this year. The reception was well attended; what she would like it to do for the museum, she said, “My idea both of Kay’s daughters were able to attend as well as was to create an endowment fund which would be able to representatives from various kite flying organizations and a few provide an annual amount to the museum's budget to help the of Kay’s close friends from the local area. We had refreshments museum grow”. donated from several local restaurants. Our board president, The wonderful thing about endowment building is any Blaine Walker, was the emcee. Speakers included Toby Arndt contribution made to this fund helps the museum become a (representing PCKA and NWSKL), Ken Conrad (representing sustainable destination for families and children. Donations from WKA), John Barresi (representing AKA and iQuad) and individuals can be leveraged to larger foundations as a reason to Gordon Schoewe (a former WKM board member and close contribute to the endowment fund. Often these types of monies friend of Kay’s). Each speaker had his turn, regaling us with are the hardest for a museum organization to gather, because funny, sweet, and heartfelt anecdotes of Kay’s long career. they represent the less glamorous parts of a working museum. Gordon spoke the longest, and he said many poignant things. Operating costs, however, are the very backbone which allows One comment stood out above the rest, “There will never be an organization to thrive. Our museum expends 75% of our another like her, she probably knows more about kites and kite annual budget on operating expenses; these expenses include history than any person alive today.” heating, lighting, building maintenance, staffing, and insurance. This sentiment really resonated with me, as the person who These are not the shiny exciting aspects of a museum has taken on the job of preserving and maintaining Kay’s organization, like exhibits and programs, which are wonderful Legacy. I am new to this region, kite flying, and kite history, my and necessary pieces to the museum puzzle, but cannot stand background is in museums, I understand how a museum works at alone without a building to house them or a staff to maintain its intrinsic level and how to build upon the foundations of an them. The operating costs are the meat and bones, the organization for its growth, but the personal aspects of any foundation, and Kay knows that. After 25 years of single museum organization, the marrow in the museum’s bones, that is handedly building and growing the World Kite Museum to its what makes each museum unique and special. That marrow is current form, she understands, better than anyone, how important encapsulated in the scope of Kay’s work over the last 25 years those operating costs are to the future of our museum. This is and it is truly astounding. Kay is more than just the founder of why she wanted the endowment in her name to contribute to this our museum, she is the foundation. Over the years Kay has very important part of running the museum. Please consider logged hundreds of volunteer hours in pursuit of building and contributing to Kay’s Legacy Fund. It will allow Kay’s hard growing a museum dedicated to sharing the joy of kites with the work to live and breathe, grow and flourish, because its roots are world. As a former teacher, she was well equipped to create well tended and supported by Kay’s family, our family, the exhibits, programs, and events that reached standards for fliers. th education for children in Kindergarten through 8 grade, a trend For more information, or to make a donation, visit the website which is only recently being adopted in museums around the for Kay’s Legacy Fund, http://www.fundly.com/wkm-kay-fund, country. Kay was an early advocate for green energy options email [email protected], call (360) 642-4020, or send using kites. Technology which is currently the focus of multi- a check payable to World Kite Museum with “Kay’s Legacy million dollar research and development around the world. She Fund” in the description line to PO Box 964, Long Beach, WA built a community of fliers and then gave them a place to call 98631. Thank you all for your continued support and advocacy. home. These efforts and more than I can enumerate in these few Please visit the museum soon. A Call for Volunteers: Empty Space in the Sky Please Help: The (WKA's) Kids' Day events have grown every year since I’ve started doing it 10 years ago. I'm needing to be Thomas (Tom) Brummel loved to fly kites all able to step down, back, away—whatever. Just plain not of his life. He found the Washington Kitefliers stepping well at all any more, especially on uneven surfaces. Association in January, 2004 and became one Thank goodness for my cane! who always showed up for Father’s Day at Kite Hill and New Year’s Day at Golden Gardens I’m looking for a new Field Director to take over the Foster Park. He often wore a ball cap that said “Super Grandparent Fun Fly and the judging of the Kids' Day Dad.” He passed away after a short illness on Camps. Also looking for a lot more helpers for these two events April 30, 2013. so I can maybe just sit around and supervise and not get so worn out. Don't worry that I'm just going to disappear and leave He was a soft spoken man. Don’t believe few of somebody else holding the bag. I'll still do what I can and I have us knew he was a former employee of Seattle a large committee of workers already, but nobody willing to take City Light and a Volunteer Fireman for 34 years on the physical aspects of the job and/or (eventually) the entire and also was a Fire Commissioner. organizing of the events. If you can't help out as a We will remember him in the Memorial Fly at field director, at least come WSIKF. and volunteer as a Foster Grandparent. We are always critically short of those. Don't worry about having to bring a kite to give away! WKA Board Members I've found that it is less President: Butch Harviston expensive for us to buy the [email protected] kites from the manufacturer's close-out Vice President: Casey Shearer lists, especially when they [email protected] often drop the prices even Treasurer: Marianne Austin lower when they find out [email protected] what they are to be used for. Secretary: Bonnie Ecker Just show up with your best [email protected] smiles and reach out to take the hand of a child and watch the wonderment in their eyes as they fly the kite you help them pick Membership: Sylvia Bernauer out! Many of these children have never flown a kite and their [email protected] parents don't know either how to fly or pick out a good kite for Education: Ken Conrad them. I promise the responses of the children will greatly reward [email protected] you for your efforts. Merchant Liaison OPEN Glenda Kleppin Special Events Coordinators: Glenda Kleppin Jerry Graham [email protected] / [email protected] A Special Memorial in Honor of Herb Andrews, Kiter Safety Chairman: Scott Slater Hello kiting friends, [email protected] I am Dana Andrews, one of the sons of Herb Andrews who passed Products Coordinator: Rick White [email protected] away in Oct.2012. I want kite fliers and friends of my father to know the upcoming Westport Windriders Kite Festival team is going to have Youth Liaison: Kristian Slater a memorial tribute to my father and his family. It will take place on [email protected] Saturday, July 13th. I would like to invite anyone who knew my father to stop by and say hello. Webmaster: Morrie Williams [email protected] Thank you and God bless Newsletter Editor: Marzlie Freeman [email protected] Dana —2— Editor’s Note: This is a very important item inadvertently Reporting on the Kite Fest in Entiat Washington left out of our last issue in the New Years Day report— March 16, 2013 New Year’s Day Kite Fly Along with a report of the Rolonyne Kite taught by Simon It was a cold, but very sunny, day this year at Golden Crofts at Fort Worden 2013 and made by Georgean Curran Gardens Park in Seattle. The annual Polar Bear plungers jumped into Puget Sound and Christmas tree bonfires took place down the way in the park. On the meadow, we flyers set up banners, windsocks, along with WKA membership information.