♪♪ [Nebbe] Larry Day loves kites.

[Larry Day] Okay, what we've got here, these are some of the kites that I fly a lot.

This is my blue whale.

This is my whale shark.

[Nebbe] Larry's passion for kiting was born where many hobbies are discovered, on vacation.

In 1999, he and his wife Kay were in Door County, Wisconsin.

They wandered into a kite store looking to purchase a kite for their grandchildren.

[Larry Day] The kite shop owner helped me pick one out.

And he said, well grandpa needs one too.

So, I bought one -- theirs was about like this, it cost $12.

Mine was about like this, it cost $35.

And so, then I started looking around on the walls and there were some two-line kites.

I said, $125?

You've got to be crazy!

[Nebbe] Curiosity got the best of Larry.

He returned to the store a few days later, bought one, flew it and was hooked.

[Larry Day] I name all my kites.

This one is Red.

[Nebbe] By Christmas, he had a handful of two-line kites and the rest is history.

[Larry Day] I have a teddy bear, I have a blue whale that is 60 feet long, the manta ray is 90 feet long.

And then I have some midsized kites.

I have an octopus.

I have a gecko.

[Larry Day] Some people always say, why don't you fly your kites higher?

Well, you spend a lot of money for a big kite, you want it to look big.

♪♪ [Nebbe] Larry estimates that he has accumulated more than $40,000 worth of kites.

And to him, it's worth it.

[Larry Day] It makes me smile.

I'm relaxed.

It makes me feel good.

It has been a great hobby.

I've gotten to go to a lot of festivals, meet a lot of good people.

[Nebbe] After years of flying at other festivals, Larry and Kay decided to start their own in Clear Lake.

[Larry Day] I looked at Kay, she looked at me.

And I said, you know, we've got a lake.

They have a lake.

Let's have a kite festival.

And so that's when we started, which was back in 2002 out at the state park.

And it has just grown continually.

[Larry Day] There's my blue whale.

♪♪ [Nebbe] Color the Wind is more than a tourist attraction to the Days.

It has also been a chance to express their love for the place they call home.

[Larry Day] An opportunity to give back to Clear Lake.

It's been a wonderful community.

I was a teacher and I see a lot of my kids come back to Clear Lake and they're very responsible citizens and it makes me feel good.

[Nebbe] Now, in their 80s, Larry and Kay don't fly as often as they used to.

In 2022, they retired as organizers of the kite festival and turned over the reins to the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.

But you'll still find him out on the lake marveling at the kaleidoscope of colors and creatures that dot the sky.

[Larry Day] You know, growing old is mandatory.

But growing up is optional.

So, I'm still a kid.

♪♪