Power, mega and stunt: Kite fans will see an impressive array at Lee’s Summit fest

Thousands will soon be craning their necks to see an impressive, colorful show above Metropolitan Community College’s Longview Campus.

The annual Flights of Fancy Mega-Kite Festival is scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. April 21. A free community event since 2006, Flights has grown significantly over the years, with around 15,000 people expected to attend this year’s event.

“We think Flights of Fancy’s success is largely due to word of mouth: It’s a fun, free family event,” said Blake Fry, MCC executive director of communication and marketing. “And it’s the perfect way to enjoy a beautiful spring day and some really cool mega kites.”

The festival, hosted each year by MCC-Longview during National Kite Month, will feature power kites, mega-kites and stunt kites as well as a 600-pound American-flag-themed kite and a massive spinning windsock measuring almost three stories tall and 200 feet long.

Many of the larger and more unique kites are taking flight through Great American Kites and Events. Those attending are also invited to bring their own kites to fly or buy kites at the festival while supplies last.

Sean Beaver, of Great American Kites and Events, said attendees can expect to see several kites from previous Lee’s Summit festivals, including Clifford the Big Red Dog and large aquatic creatures and animals, along with several kites not previously flown at Flights of Fancy.

The family-friendly event features two inflatable obstacle courses, interactive children’s activities, face painting and a soccer shootout game. Attendees are also invited to bring blankets, chairs and coolers or purchase food from vendors.

“The Flights of Fancy crew has been making the festival bigger and better since coming back in 2022 from the early stages of the pandemic,” Fry said. “For one thing, if you haven’t been in a few years, you’ll definitely notice more food options.”

This year that includes offerings from Jerusalem’s Cafe, Scimeca’s sausages, Weenies and Paninis, Poppy’s Ice Cream and Vee’s BBQ.

Keeping the festival free for attendees has been an important part of its success and popularity over the years.

“Every year we highlight local businesses that sponsor Flights of Fancy and help keep it a free event,” Fry added.

This year’s presenting sponsor is Saint Luke’s East Hospital, with other sponsors also offering support. Donations from the sponsors enable MCC to apply additional proceeds from the festival to scholarships for the college’s students.

For Metropolitan Community College, Flights of Fancy provides another way for community members to learn more about the campus, located on Lee’s Summit’s west side.

“It also draws people to the MCC-Longview campus who might not know much about us,” Fry said, “and we take that opportunity to promote our programs. This year, we’re putting a spotlight on Longview’s automotive technology program. They’ll have a booth, and visitors can check out a huge inflatable obstacle course with a car on top of it: an inflatable car, not a real one!”

With Flights of Fancy offered for nearly two decades, it has become a springtime tradition for some metro-area residents.

“We also hear from people who grew up coming with their parents and now bring their own kids to the event,” Fry said.

Flights of Fancy was initiated in 2006 when Fred Grogan, former MCC-Longview president and current Lee’s Summit resident, saw the large open hilltop on the northeast corner of the campus as a great place to fly kites. Grogan’s initial vision was for local residents to bring their own kites and fly them on the Longview grounds, according to Flights of Fancy organizers.

But Grogan and Jill Ladas, then MCC-Longview’s community education manager, soon discovered that the area had one of the most active kite clubs in the nation: the Kansas City Kite Club. Attendance at the first Flights of Fancy, which included displays managed by the Kite Club, was 3,500, with the number continuing to grow over the years.

Since then, the festival has been held almost every April with one event early on canceled due to inclement weather and the 2020 and 2021 events sidelined by the pandemic.

To learn more about the 2024 Flights of Fancy, go here.