Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1993 15:40:25 -1000 From: danr@crash.cts.com (Dan Rubesh) Message-Id: <1993Jul23.184025.23356@crash> Organization: CTS Network Services (crash, ctsnet), El Cajon, CA Subject: Candy Drops (was Re: Berkeley/CA Kite Championships) Yet another method of dropping candy would be to put a quantity of candy in the cells of a Quadrifoil, launch, then invert over the kidlets.. (I haven't tried this yet, but if Sedgewick can pick up sand to sprinkle on the crowd, it should also work for dropping candy.. ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - Good Winds and Tight Lines! Dan Rubesh Wind Wizard, Purveyor of UUCP: {ucsd, nosc}!crash!danr GO Stunt Kites & Accessories ARPA: crash!danr@nosc.mil FLY A P.O. Box 5747 INET: danr@crash.cts.com KITE! Ventura, CA 93005 (805) 859-5654 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1993 14:50:29 -1000 From: jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka) Message-Id: <22slcl$6mg@umd5.umd.edu> Organization: University of Maryland at College Park Subject: Re: Candy Drops (was Re: Berkeley/CA Kite Championships) In article <1993Jul23.184025.23356@crash> danr@crash.cts.com (Dan Rubesh) writes: > >Yet another method of dropping candy would be to put a quantity of >candy in the cells of a Quadrifoil, launch, then invert over the >kidlets.. (I haven't tried this yet, but if Sedgewick can pick up sand >to sprinkle on the crowd, it should also work for dropping candy.. ) Here's another one to amuse the kidlets that I came up with along with a friend of mine's son. Ryan's dad has made a few parachutes and attached them to some "action figures." After watching Ryan throw one in the air (most unsatisfying), I suggested he put one in my Quadrifoil. Flying to the top of the window, I inverted the kite and shook it, causing the figure to drop out. It works quite well. The biggest problem is that I can't get *that* high since I fly in Q-25 on 70' lines. It usually takes the 'chute a few seconds to open. Ryan (age 7) loves it and the little tourist boys and girls walking by also get a real kick. A couple of hints...ball up the parachute and stick it in the cell before the figure. This way, the figure falls out first and the 'chute *might* open a bit earlier. Also, never leave the parachute hanging out of the cell, hoping that it'll "open earlier" (since it's already open). It'll get massively tangled in the kite's bridle. Be prepared to do this over and over, particularly if you're the only person on the field who's pulled out a Quadrifoil. We've talked about doing a mass jump some times--multiple parchuters each out of multiple kites--but haven't gotten around to it yet. Jeff Subject: Re: Candy Drops (was Re: Berkeley/CA Kite Championships) Summary: Expires: Followup-To: Organization: University of Maryland at College Park Keywords: In article <1993Jul23.184025.23356@crash> danr@crash.cts.com (Dan Rubesh) writes: > >Yet another method of dropping candy would be to put a quantity of >candy in the cells of a Quadrifoil, launch, then invert over the >kidlets.. (I haven't tried this yet, but if Sedgewick can pick up sand >to sprinkle on the crowd, it should also work for dropping candy.. ) Here's another one to amuse the kidlets that I came up with along with a friend of mine's son. Ryan's dad has made a few parachutes and attached them to some "action figures." After watching Ryan throw one in the air (most unsatisfying), I suggested he put one in my Quadrifoil. Flying to the top of the window, I inverted the kite and shook it, causing the figure to drop out. It works quite well. The biggest problem is that I can't get *that* high since I fly in Q-25 on 70' lines. It usually takes the 'chute a few seconds to open. Ryan (age 7) loves it and the little tourist boys and girls walking by also get a real kick. A couple of hints...ball up the parachute and stick it in the cell before the figure. This way, the figure falls out first and the 'chute *might* open a bit earlier. Also, never leave the parachute hanging out of the cell, hoping that it'll "open earlier" (since it's already open). It'll get massively tangled in the kite's bridle. Be prepared to do this over and over, particularly if you're the only person on the field who's pulled out a Quadrifoil. We've talked about doing a mass jump some times--multiple parchuters each out of multiple kites--but haven't gotten around to it yet. Jeff -- |Jeffrey C. Burka | "When I look in the mirror, I see a little clearer/ | |SAFH Lite [tm] | I am what I am and you are you too./ Do you like | |jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu | what you see? Do you like yourself?" --N. Cherry | = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 17:31:27 -1000 From: rock@netcom.com (Anne Rock) Message-Id: Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services Subject: Re: Candy Drops (was Re: Berkeley/CA Kite Championships) I was responsible for the kids' events at the Berkeley Kite Festival three years ago; one of the events was the candy drop, and we learned a lot very quickly. Last week I used the phrase "youthful mayhem," and it wasn't entirely a joke. Some of the kids (this speaks well for Bay Area kids) really pushed to get candy, and we had a number of youngsters in tears, with bruises and scrapes (I think we didn't have them segregated into such narrow age groups at first). Bag: should be designed so that candy does not fall in a big heap on the ground. A narrow neck or a long narrow tube works well (but you don't want the candy to come out so slowly that kids jump the gun). Velcro makes a good closure, with the pull line attached to the velcro tab. The plan was to swing the bag around as much as possible, thus dispersing the candy as widely as possible, so I sewed the velcro to webbing for reinforcement. The bags were constructed so that you rolled the bottom up several turns, then fastened the velcro. We did a test drop a few weeks prior to the event, filling the bag with old beans and peas to the poundage of candy we wanted to lift. The primary purpose of the test was to see if the velcro would hold, and it did. The test also showed how important it was to have someone responsible for and very attentive to the trip line: someone (me) was standing on the pull line as the kite was going up, and the bag opened about 8' off the ground. It is helpful to have two bags, so one can be refilled while the next drop is taking place. I think Art Ross uses radio control to open candy bags. Adult volunteers. At least one person to handle the kite; one for the pull line; one to manage the event (microphone); and several people to help hold the kids back, hand out candy to those who didn't find any on the ground; someone to refill the second bag. The last two years, Mr and Mrs Kite, Pat and Lou Lewandowski, have done the candy drop at Berkeley. They are clowns, and their costumes and antics add a lot to the event, as well as the entire festival. Grouping and arrangement of kids. Have several drops, for different age groups. I think there were 3 this past weekend (2-5, 6-8, 9-10??), with 2 drops per age group (one per age group, cycle through the groups again). Have the kids spread out a bit, in a semi-circle if possible, so they're equidistant from the TZ; you don't want row upon row of kids, which can result in pushing, shoving, falling down, etc. Try to arrange things so you can bring down the kite to replace/refill the candy bag without slowing down activities too much or endangering people. Extra candy. Volunteers should have extras in their pockets for the sad face that didn't find any. Kite. You might want to have a couple of options, in case the wind isn't quite what you anticipated, or a kite that flies in a wide range of wind conditions (Mr and Mrs Kite use a big delta). Anne - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Anne Rock | * * Berkeley, California | * * rock@netcom.com | * * | * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 02:26:36 -1000 From: lmarshal@pnfi.forestry.ca (Larry Marshall) Message-Id: Organization: Forestry Canada - Petawawa National Forestry Institute Subject: Re: Candy Drops (was Re: Berkeley/CA Kite Championships) In rock@netcom.com (Anne Rock) writes: >Last week I used the phrase "youthful mayhem," and it wasn't entirely >a joke. Some of the kids (this speaks well for Bay Area kids) really >pushed to get candy, and we had a number of youngsters in tears, >with bruises and scrapes (I think we didn't have them segregated >into such narrow age groups at first). Sounds like a cattle prod or two might be helpful additions to the kite and bag accessories you described (grin). How's that song go... "Don't spit into the wind... don't step on Superman's cape... and no, no.. don't stand between a kid and candy..." or something like that. ---------- Larry Marshall lmarshal@pnfi.forestry.ca Forestry Canada (613) 589-2880 Petawawa National Forestry Institute (613) 589-2275 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =