Seaside hosts the American Kite Association Convention”This is a big one,” Charlie Sotich said, taking one of his homemade kites out of the CD case that held it.

Constructed from a Japanese napkin and a thin strand of bamboo and trailing a tail of Christmas tree tinsel, the tiny creation was all of four inches long. But, indeed, it was one of the larger examples of his craft in Sotich’s extensive collection of minuscule kites, some of them only a couple inches in size.

Scott Ralston and Theresa Norelius, of Vancouver, Wash., keep an eye on their F-stop kite which bobbed up and down in Tuesday’s wind, in this view from the Seaside Turnaround.

LORI ASSA – The Daily AstorianSotich is sharing some of his secrets with hundreds of kite enthusiasts at the American Kite Association Convention at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center this week. Participants attend workshops on kite-making and flying, watch various flying competitions and launch their own kites on the beach in front of the Turnaround.

“Seaside is an ideal location. It has the beaches, the convention center – and the wind,” said Dave Gomberg, one of the organizers.

About 400 people from around the United States and several countries were expected for the week-long event, which runs through Saturday. Along with workshops on such subjects as painting Japanese kites, kite aerial photography and kite trains, the gathering includes national-level sport-kite competition featuring two- and four-line kites, fighter kite events and even an indoor kite fly.

Sotich, who taught a workshop on ultra light Hata kites, miniature versions of traditional Japanese fighting kites, planned to take part in the indoor flying competition, where flyers “create their own wind” by simply walking backward towing their kite in the air.

With wind taken out of the equation, lightness becomes all-important for indoor flyers, whose kites may weigh a fraction of a gram. But with one of his tiny creations, made from mylar 16 times thinner than Saran Wrap and a paintbrush bristle for a spar, Sotich showed that only a gentle circular motion of the arm is necessary to keep the feather-light kite airborne at the end of its slender line.

Without a whisper of wind, kites glide through the air at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center Tuesday evening at the hands of a group called GuildWorks, which performed a demonstration before the indoor kite flying competition. Performers are, from left, Lee Park, Marc Ricketts and Debi Park.”It just breaks perceptions,” says Ricketts of the performance which includes theatrics, indoor kite flying and even gymnastics. “It really becomes a magic act.”

LORI ASSA – The Daily Astorian”You don’t go outside with these,” he said.

The workshops and competitions are open only to convention-goers, but the public is invited to view some of the kites on display and, of course, take in the flying on the beach.

Each day at 12:30 p.m. the participants gather for a “mass ascension” group fly of hundreds of kites all at once. Each day is devoted to a particular style of kite, and participants receive a pin for each of the group flights they enter – all five pins fit together in a kite-shaped design. Some flyers have collected thousands, and pin-trading is a popular convention event in itself.

Rick Agar’s plane kite casts a shadow on the sand at Seaside Tuesday afternoon. “We have a squadron,” laughs the Cincinatti, Ohio resident, who is part of a flying club called “Pigs Aloft,” which flew a handful of kites with pigs flying planes.

LORI ASSA – The Daily AstorianTuesday’s mass ascension was for “soft” kites – kites containing no sticks – and included eye-catching designs such as giant fish, flags and some scuba divers with fish in pursuit. At the end of one of the scuba kite’s lines was Jerry Houk of Maplewood, Minn.

The diver is a design of a noted kite builder from England, but Houk has made a name for himself in kite circles with some of his own award-winning creations, which range from Native American-inspired designs to cartoon characters.

Houk traces his love for kites to an old photo of himself at one year old standing next to a box kite his father built for him. He and his dad continued building kites during his youth, but he didn’t take up the hobby again until 11 years ago, when he met several members of the local Minnesota kite club. He began building his own creations from plans provided by other kite builders, and attended his first national AKA convention – held in 1993 in Seaside.

“I’ve come full circle,” he said.

This year Houk is judging the kite-making contest, where entrants are scored on the kite’s appearance on the ground and in the air, its flying capability and construction.

“I do kite-making workshops in Minnesota, and when I pass the string on to a kid, or even an adult who’s never enjoyed kite-flying, it’s always a joy to see them smile when they feel the power of the wind through the string,” he said.

Scott Ralston and Theresa Norelius brought a big collection of kites from the shop they own in Vancouver, Wash. During Tuesday’s group flight they brought out an “F-stop,” a round, multi-colored parachute-like creation that spun on its line as it bounced off the sand like a big beach ball.

“It’s not real airborne, but it’s low maintenance,” Norelius said.

The pair attend regional events and even sponsor a kite team through their store, but this was their first national convention, she said.

“We love to see new people get involved,” Norelius said. “Out of 100 spectators watching, if just one says ‘I would love to do that,’ it grows the sport.”