The Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department is hosting an afternoon of making and flying kites by the sea during its kite-making workshop scheduled for Sunday at Haulover Park.

Kite-making experts representing Cuba, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago will be on hand for the free event that is being presented by Skyward Kites and will include music and demonstrations of the art of kite-making.
“In this economy, people are looking for inexpensive ways to have fun with their families and they are introducing their children to the outdoor activities that they enjoyed in their youth, such as the thrill of kite-flying,” said Dan Ward, owner and master kite-crafter for Skyward Kites which is housed at Haulover Park. 

Kites date back 3,000 years, when the Chinese made them from bamboo and silk. Over the centuries, kites have been used in religious ceremonies, scientific experiments, military maneuvers and just for fun.

The workshop is open to all ages and kite-building kits will be available for $5.  Park visitors may also take along their own kite-building materials; paper, dowel sticks, bamboo and hardware are suggested. The event is being sponsored by the Miami-Dade Park & Recreation Department and Pollo Tropical. 

Recognized as one of the best places in South Florida to fly kites, the open space and fresh ocean breezes of Haulover Park make it the ideal location for Skyward Kites, which has operated at the park for nearly 18 years and boasts the largest selection of kites, windsocks and wind spinners in the area.

The kite-making workshop will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Haulover Park kite field, 10800 Collins Ave.

For more information, call Dan Ward at 303-893-0906 or the park at 305-947-3525.