Flights of Fancy - MCC-Longview

The Flights of Fancy Mega Kite Festival is an annual kite festival on the Metropolitan Community College-Longview campus. The idea for the festival originated in 2006 with former MCC-Longview president Dr. Fred Grogan, who saw the open space and hilltop location as a great place to fly kites. Dr. Grogan's initial vision was for families to bring their kites and fly them on campus. He and then Community Education Manager, Jill Ladas, discovered that Kansas City had a kite club – one of the most active in the country – right in MCC-Longview's back yard, the Kansas City Kite Club. That first year, the event was deemed a success with 3,500 people attending. People of all ages brought kites to fly on designated public flying fields, while the kite club managed the professional field and provided the spectacular displays both in the air and on the ground. Each year has seen an increase in attendance, with 2016's attendance topping 35,000!