Kite Day soars at Pacheco State Park

A sunny day with gusty winds was in order Saturday for Family Kite Day at Pacheco State Park.

Children giggled and ran through the yellow grass on the park’s rolling hills while they pulled kites on strings. Some came with ready-made plastic kites, while others made their own from folded paper.

Along with taking advantage of the gusty winds, visitors competed in eating contests and learned about wind and water.

Ron Helmrick, 44, of Los Banos prepared to test his pie-eating prowess at the event, which included a bubble gum-blowing contest. He was there with Pack 85, a Los Banos-based Boy and Cub Scouts group.

It was his first trip to the park with the Scouts, he said. Kite Day earned his approval. “I think it’s good,” he said.

The displays at the wind-powered event included an array of animal pelts from local wildlife, which include bobcats, red-tailed hawks and mountain lions. The children willing to sit still long enough also got a lesson in the Beaufort wind scale, a measurement of wind speed that dates to 1805.

Jennifer Morgan, who gives tours at the park, said Kite Day dates to 2001. The staff was looking for a way to get people to check out the 7,000-acre park during the warm, dry months.

“It’s a fun, inexpensive day to enjoy the great outdoors,” she said.

Pacheco State Park is made up of land donated in 1992 by Paula Fatjo, the great-great-granddaughter of Francisco Pacheco. It’s known for its hiking trails, which are also used for horseback and mountain bike riding, as well as the wildflowers that sprout each spring.

The event drew people from either side of Pacheco Pass, which connects Merced and Santa Clara counties.

Kite Day was also filled with plenty of Frisbee tossing and pinwheel spinning, because they also use wind. Park staff also talked about the drought, as the park bumps up against San Luis Reservoir.

Nathan Aeschleman, a park ranger, used his time off to bring his two daughters to fly kites. “It’s fun stuff,” he said.

This story was originally published June 21, 2015 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Kite Day soars at Pacheco State Park."