The Santa Maria kite festival may be canceled because of the rain, but organizers aren't ready to throw in the towel.
Gabriela Jones and her daughters stayed dry on Saturday at the Children's Resource & Referral Discovery Museum during this weekend’s storm.
“My daughter loves to color and likes to do the crafts," Jones said. "She likes to just enjoy so much of the fun stuff that they have here to offer. And it just keeps her occupied, and it gets us out of the house.”
The Discovery Museum was set to help host the annual Family Kite Festival at Rotary Centennial Park on Sunday. Still, Jacqui Banta and other organizers made the tough decision to cancel the popular event.
“We were so sad," Banta said. "We've been working for months on preparing for the kite festival. We know how important it is to our community, and we were watching the forecast and we were hoping and praying. We know we need the rain, but also we just need a fun family day.”
According to Banta, Santa Maria Recreation and Parks, which is another sponsor of the event, said the park had already started to fill with water Friday night. The group had already decided that would be their deadline for deciding whether or not to cancel the festival, due to the risks tied to the rain.
With having to ground the kites for another year, Banta and the team came up with a plan B... another way to give families something fun to do on Sunday.
“Not only are we going to open our doors on Sunday for the community to come in if it's rain or shine, but we are offering free admission to all families to come in and enjoy Sunday with their family here at the Children's Resource & Referral Discovery Museum.”
Jones said opening the space for an extra day this week is a bright spot for parents and kids during the stormy, windy, and wet weather.
“I think it's great," Jones said. "Like I said, there is so much to do here, and it is a very kid-friendly and kid safe area. So I'm definitely not opposed to it. And I think it's a huge win for everybody.
Banta said the kite festival is set to come back next year.
