Southpoint Klite Festival set for Sept. 30-Oct. 1

The 2023 Southpoint Klite Festival is once again in the planning stages with the event scheduled to take place Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1 at the Leamington Soccer Fields.

Organizer and host George Paisiovich is thrilled to be able to bring the kites and lights back to the area and says it’ll be bigger than ever.

“We call it the Klite Festival because we combine kites and lights,” he says. “The kites will feature some kites over 80 feet long and will include aerobatic team flyers and single line kites from around the world. The lights include LED ground displays, black light field of slinky sticks and a spaghetti tunnel.”

Paisiovich says the group — entirely volunteer-based — is always welcoming new volunteers to come out and help and they have positions available for anyone including students looking for community service hours.

“We do it because we believe in the importance of fun, and because we can,” says Paisiovoch. “It shares life’s blessings. But if health or other factors make it no longer feasible because of costs or lack of volunteers, then we will simply enjoy the memories of what we shared together.”

Other features of the weekend include the nighttime LED event (over 10 acres), Canada’s largest monarch butterfly canopy, water balloon fun, a lit ‘Love Garden’ surrounded by 1,200 heart flowers, foam snowball fights, bubbles, face painting and chalk drawing.

The shows are free but the festival is very grateful for donations, which will help offset costs for future events.

“Donations are greatly appreciated but we do not want anyone to feel obligated to give something,” says Paisiovich. “It is important for single parents, limited income people, seniors, migrant workers and all simply come and play.”

The shows run from 10 am to 9 pm on Saturday, September 30 and 10 am to 3 pm on Sunday, October 1.

“Bring your lawn chairs,” says Paisiovich. “It’s free family fun!”

If you are looking to volunteer, you can contact George at 226-237-5483 or email him at [email protected].

They are looking for people adept at woodworking for a few projects, someone who can spot weld, someone who can hem and sew for some applique work, someone who can hand-paint things and a few people who would like to help with the organizing and running of the festival.

Paisiovich summed it up by quoting another famous George (Bernard Shaw): “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.”