BERKELEY, Calif. — During the annual Kite Festival and Competition of 2019, thousands of families and kite enthusiasts traveled to Cesar E. Chavez Park to view and fly kites in the windy hills overlooking the Marina. Hundreds of kites of all shapes, sizes and colors could be seen flying on that day.
Although most kites could be flown in the sky freely, controlled only by the wind, others were controlled while flying. A stunt kite is a kite that is flown with two strings instead of one, and both strings change the direction of the kite.
Stunt kite flyer John Samet said, “The two [strings] can control and alternate the direction of the kite based on how hard I pull each line.”
But these kites can be difficult to control.
“For the first hour, I drove it to the ground,” Samet said. “It’s difficult because it’s sensitive.”
The wind and its direction both play a role.
Samet said strong winds can make the kite spin at approximately 50 to 60 miles per hour; 14 to 15 miles per hour is representative of a good wind and speed.
But once a kite flyer is adept at a stunt kite, he or she can make the kite move in all directions — spinning and diving and making buzzing noises similar to stunt planes.
“I can make it dive real fast and suddenly pull up with a J-turn,” Samet said. “What I can get it to do — but it’s really difficult — is actually to make a square.”
In groups, stunt kites are often seen flying in synchronized patterns, with competitions at the kite festival on Saturday and Sunday of the last weekend in July. But for a single flyer, stunt decisions are up to the individual.
“There’s no reason to it,” Samet said. “It’s just [dependent on] how I feel.”
A stunt kite performs a spin, while viewers enjoy its movements. (Photo by Joel Lee/Teen Observer)
BERKELEY, Calif. — For more than 30 years, the Berkeley Kite Festival has drawn thousands of locals and tourists alike. Thousands of people and hundreds of kites fill the skies for the annual event at the Berkeley Marina.
The festival’s entrance is at Cesar Chavez Park, on the northside of the Berkeley Marina. The 2019 event featured food booths, a petting zoo, zip line and dance performances in addition to kite flying. (Photo by Lynne Perri)
This year was no exception. Cesar Chavez Park was flooded with people who came not only to fly kites but also to make them. Traditional Asian music was performed in the afternoon by Taiko drummers. Both ethnic and traditional American food trucks lent the festival an international flair.
The Taiko drummers played for the people at the Kite Festival, creating a joyful environment, in which people gathered around and joined them in their cultural dances. (Photo by Stephanie Schreiber/Teen Observer)
Chandler Isaac, a first-timer, described the festival as “surprising.” Families from all over the country have made this a tradition to relish with loved ones, Sabine Roehl said, adding that “I plan on bringing my family and friends here again until my kids decide they don’t want to come back.”
The atmosphere was welcoming and open, Julian Carvahal said. “It felt like a tight community” with a relaxed feel to it, he said.
BERKELEY, Calif. — The 1951 Coffee Company believes in its mission of sharing refugee stories and experiences. As a nonprofit organization, the shop provides refugees with job assistance and employment through monthly barista training. Visual graphics displayed along the interior walls of the shop inform customers on the troublesome process of resettlement.
“It’s important for him to see the environment of all races and respect [them],” says customer Natasha Jacob of her 9-year-old son, whom she often takes with her. “He enjoys the numbers and graphics, and it opens a dialogue for us.” She has been visiting the shop ever since it first opened three years ago.
Co-founders Rachel Taber and Doug Hewitt “wanted to make a direct impact on the lives of the people they were already serving directly and to be their own bosses,” Melanie Miksis, 1951’s communication and fundraising coordinator, said.
Melanie Miksis has been the communications and fundraising coordinator since 2017. (Photo by Kennedy McDermott)
“They created this business model because not only does it provide job training, but also it’s the type of job that is so customer-focused and interactive that it’s putting people in the middle of what the U.S. culture is, which would be coffee,” she said. “It’s just a great relationship-building type of job.”
Staffers are given the opportunity to attend a barista training program at a nearby church, “That’s teaching between five to eight people per month the skills on how to make coffee, from point of sales to making an espresso drink,” Miksis said.
“On three of the 10 days we invite the public to come in as mock customers,” she added . “It’s a way for the trainees to practice customer service and also to make the drinks in an environment with real people, real customers, and just get them geared up for a real job in this environment. That’s a huge volunteer opportunity that we have every month.”
The company also encourages workers to become familiar with their surroundings and go to other local shops as well.
“We recently had an employers’ event here and invited coffee-shop employers to come in and listen to a panel of some of our baristas that are now super-qualified. They were speaking about their experiences coming to the U.S., some confusion they had, and really breaking down this barrier of employing a refugee or asylee and to not have as much uncertainty with hiring,” she said .
The shop holds informational events on the resettlement issue, including recently on World Refugee Day June 20, during which each customer was given a new identification card and country of origin, an arbitrary number of family members and a level of ability to speak English.
Tables were numbered in Arabic and labeled in different languages, including French, Farsi and Tigrinya “to add that element of confusion to the people that were going through the simulation,” Miksis said. “It created a way for people to understand how confusing it is, how frustrating it could be, and how lengthy.”
“It definitely prompted people to ask themselves what more can I do and how can I volunteer, whether it be with 1951 or with a resettlement agency in the area,” she said. “People were triggered to do more, to have more interest in what’s going on, and to feel like they can make some sort of difference in seeking ways to actually do that.”
