♪♪ [Nebbe] Soaring more than 100 feet above the treetops are kites of all shapes and sizes at the Color the Wind Kite Festival.

And down on the ground, the thousands of attendees are walking, and sliding, on a frozen Clear Lake.

♪♪ [Nebbe] Stacy, everything about this festival seems risky to me.

It's in the winter.

The weather has to cooperate.

The ice has to cooperate.

Why do a crazy festival like this in February?

[Stacy Doughan] Well, I mean, Clear Lake is such a great summer destination and winter just gets long here in Iowa and it's gray and it's dingy.

And this really just adds a spark of color and energy to what is otherwise a pretty dismal time around Iowa.

♪♪ There's a lot of fish out here today.

I think that one is either a muskie or a pike right there.

And the other one is probably a largemouth bass.

[Nebbe] For the most part, what you see here aren't the typical kites that you can buy from your local variety store.

These kites can cost thousands of dollars apiece.

[Nebbe] How did you get into it?

[Mike Gee] I got into kites through an ad in the back of a magazine.

And then I got this ad and it's like, I'm not paying $65 for a kite, there's no way.

And then I finally said, I'm going to buy this kite, and it's been downhill ever since.

[Nebbe] I was going to say, $65 sounds pretty cheap I'm guessing for a lot of these kites.

[Mike Gee] 35 years ago.

♪♪ [Nebbe] What are the benefits of flying a kite in the winter?

[Mike Gee] So, good question.

We have cleaner air in the wintertime because in the summertime the Earth is always heating and we always have thermals coming off the Earth.

So, we always have warm air we have to contend with in the summertime.

So, we get the best cleanest wind in the wintertime.

Plus, bragging rights.

(laughter) [Mike Gee] These kites we're using a 4,000-pound line on them and the kites are like 20 feet wide, 100 feet long.

They generate a lot of pull.

[Nebbe] With kites that big, pilots have to get creative with how they anchor them.

And that's where a frozen lake comes in handy.

♪♪ [Mike Gee] We're about 20 inches deep here today, which is good.

And then what I'm going to do is I'm just going to grab this two by four and we're going to just drop it in the hole and I'm going to grab this pusher.

And what we've got to do is we've got to toggle that two by four up against the bottom of the ice.

So, I'm just going to shove it down the hole here.

Maybe the first try I can get it down.

♪♪ [Mike Gee] And there we're tied off.

♪♪ [Nebbe] Other kites at the festival are much smaller and are flown by stunt teams as part of choreographed routines.

♪♪ [Nebbe] You both fly different kinds of kites.

Can you describe your kite for us?

[Mike Stephenson] Yeah, mine is a four-line kite and we use a banana-shaped handle with a line attached to each one of the handles.

So, we have a controllability kind of like a skid steer almost, it's a forward reverse, we can turn on any direction.

[Nebbe] And describe your kite.

[Paul Koepke] The kites we fly are delta wing kites.

They're similar to a hang glider.

It's the same construction technique, only take that and shrink it down to about an eight foot wing span.

[Nebbe] Why do you do it?

[Paul Koepke] Well, it keeps us out of trouble for one.

It's a lot of fun.

It's like dancing with Mother Nature.

♪♪ [Nebbe] Why do you do it?

[Mike Stephenson] I think because the pure absolute enjoyment of it.

I love being able to have some control of something that is uncontrollable.

You can't decide what the wind is going to do or not do.

You have to live with what it does.

But gaining that control over it when there is no wind, when there is wind, we love to share our sport and the reactions of the crowds just make my day.

♪♪ [Nebbe] Larry, there are thousands of people out here.

The forecast was pretty iffy but we have really a perfect day.

What does it feel like for you looking at this celebration?

[Larry Day] I was smiling big time this morning when I got here about nine o'clock.

It's just been a wonderful day so far.

I'm not going to complain.

The winds could be better.

But I'm not complaining.

Come on, wind!

Get up there!

♪♪ [Nebbe] For the festival organizers and pilots, Color the Wind isn't necessarily about the kites themselves, but about the joy those beautiful kites can bring.

Look over there!

What's that one?

♪♪ [Nebbe] What do you think makes it so magical?

[Stacy Doughan] I think it's really the people.

I love watching the joy on people's faces and all of the smiles.

It's just, like I said, Iowa is kind of gray in the winter and so to see everybody so happy and to see all these bright kites in the sky, it's really a fun day.

♪♪ [Mike Gee] When I see all the kites up in the air, I am inspired because I'm just in awe.

And I've been doing this for 35 years and I'm like, look at these kites!

This is cool!

♪♪ [Larry Day] I don't care how old you are, 3 to 93, it's all about having fun, bringing smiles to people's faces.

I just like families getting out here and having fun.

♪♪