Children make kites for festival Sunday in Livingston

A handful of children prepared for Kite Day in Livingston by making their own kites on Friday.

The Knights of Columbus, which sponsors the annual free event, held a kite-making event in the city’s community center. Children made and decorated kites, and in some cases tried them out to see if they were flight-worthy.

The “Time to Fly” kite festival, now in its fourth year, is Sunday at Livingston Middle School, 101 F St. The event kicks off the Week of the Young Child.

Festivities begin at 9 a.m. when the Merced County Sheriff’s Department “Huey” helicopter lands. The first 500 children to attend will get a free kite.

The day includes demonstrations of gigantic kites, cultural entertainment, and arts and crafts booths. Food and drink will be available for purchase, and children can take part in a candy drop.

Also planned are a pie-eating contest and safety demonstrations by law enforcement agencies.

Organizers said they expect more than 5,000 people to attend.

For more information, go to www.livingstonkitefestival.com or find the event on Facebook.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Children make kites for festival Sunday in Livingston."