It’s that time of year again where the people of San Ramon come together for kite-flying and kid-friendly fun.
Starting on Sunday and continuing through Monday, the city of San Ramon will hold its annual Art and Wind Festival at Central Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Art and Wind Festival includes more than 200 arts and crafts booths, kite-flying demonstrations by professionals from all over the world, free kite-making workshops, kids’ activities, a non-profit information alley, displays of handmade artwork, and so much more.
The booths located throughout the park sell everything from jewelry to personalized items.
“My favorite thing to do at the festival is to walk around and look at all the booths,” said senior Brenna O’Sullivan. “I also love to go to the kid area with all of the big slides and obstacle courses.”
Entertainment includes live performances from local bands and dance groups. There will also be a special appearance by the Oakland Raiderettes.
There are also more than 25 food and beverage booths to choose from, some of which Cal High will be sponsoring to help raise funds to benefit their specific group.
The Interact Club will be selling caramel apples, softball will be selling barbeque chicken sandwiches, men’s volleyball will be selling nachos, and cheer will be selling beverages.
Last year, all of the groups running the food and beverage booths combined raised over $80,000.
“All of the profits we make will be going to the LN-4 Prosthetic Hand Foundation,” said junior Christina Wong who’s the Interact Club Youthact Coordinator. “Our goal is to raise $50,000.”
There are also students from Cal who will help out this year at the festival.
Senior Caroline Yi has been volunteering for the Art and Wind Festival for about five years.
“I’ve been volunteering for the San Ramon City (of) Lights program,” said Caroline. “I work with kids on little projects and such.”
Perhaps the most exciting part of this event is the annual hot air balloon launch on Monday. This year’s launch will include a variety of brightly-colored balloons and a hang gliding demonstration.
This is also a great opportunity for amateur photographers to snap some pictures as the balloons take off.
If the weather is nice, the actual launch will most likely be between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m.. But if it is too windy, the balloons may not launch at all.
The Art and Wind Festival has been a huge success in the past. The 22 groups that participated last year raised more than $65,000.
“I’ve been going to the Art and Wind Festival almost every year since I was six,” said Brenna. “It’s always fun to see the community together and look at all the different booths.”