"𝗚𝗼 𝗙𝗹𝘆 𝗔 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗲!" 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸~𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟬 𝗯𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘀

 

“Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.” (Winston Churchill)

It was a Saturday afternoon in March of 1930 that brought families and plenty of contestants to Riverside Park for the first annual Brownsville Herald kite contest.

Although the morning started overcast and even with some rain, by noon, the gloom of the morning gave way to bright sunshine. It was like the gods had something to do with it—as the stillness of daybreak followed with a steady north wind making a great day for kite flying.

The contest was a huge success—as boys and girls, along with their parents, standing by as experienced consultants, were seen engaged in the most ultimate carefree pastime, kite flying.

There were at least 50 kids with a variety of kits, some homemade, others store bought, but regardless of their origins—the sky was adorned with an assortment of kites, soaring gracefully overhead that made for a lovely sight.

Added interest was given as many more kids were able to enter the contest thanks to the generosity of the Brownsville Coca Cola Co., who donated some 1,200 Hi-Flier kites.

As some struggled to keep their kites aloft, Aurora Burtron, a little eight-year-old, stole the show. She withstood the competition in the semifinals of Friday on her own school grounds to advance to complete in the Saturday event.

Entering with a homemade kite and competing against much larger fliers, she gave one of the most outstanding demonstrations of kit flying in the event—good enough to win third prize in the girl’s division. Only the time limit in which to raise her kite saved the other girls from being defeated by this little giant.

As kite flying goes, part of the excitement is when the inevitable happens—the crack-ups and crashes which were expected, soon followed. The spectacular mishap of the afternoon occurred when the apparent winner took a dive.

Christened the “Magic Valley,” the huge six-foot affair with a cluster of balloons in tow encountered a mysterious strong headwind snapping its middle-stick sending the big kite tumbling down to earth.

While aloft, the Magic Valley was a majestic sight as it held its place against the clouds.

By the end of the afternoon the judges, Ed Osborne and F. E. Bulloch, announced the following winners: first prize (boy) Glenn Cupp, El Jardin; first prize (girl) Lily Bowyer, 1142 W. St. Charles; second place (boy) Sherwood Bishop, 605 W. Elizabeth; second prize (girl) Carmela Alonso, 22 Adams Street; third place (boy) Concepcion Gonzalez, Blalack School; third prize (girl) Aurora Burtron; fourth prize (boy) Esequiel Ramirez; fourth place (girl) Irene Cisneros

The money awards, which amounted to five dollars each for first prizes and two dollars and a half for the rest of the winners—were donated by the Rio Grande Valley Trust Company.

And yes, there were some kites hugging trees—unattached kites were seen hanging motionless on nearby trees—while others took flied into the interior of Mexico.

But overall, with all strings attached—it was a wonderful family outing at the park that brought to every participant that intangible called a “Thrill.” This unexpected sensation was repeated throughout the day as many were seen experiencing moments of excitement as they ran, skipped and jumped pursuing the flight of the kite.

“Get a grip on life—Go fly a kite.”