REVERE — A giant squid drifted through the air at Revere Beach Wednesday, casting a shadow over the sand that caused two sunbathing women to remove their sunglasses, look up, and smile.
The squid was emblazoned on a kite — one of many flying above the beach Wednesday afternoon, as kite enthusiasts celebrated “Fly a Kite Day,” which marks the anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s 1747 famous kite ride where he hypothesized a relationship between electricity and lightning.
Kites featuring Spongebob Squarepants, a rainbow flag, and an arch banner reading “Hakkuna Matata,” could also be seen above the sandy shores.
For friends and kite enthusiasts Richie Salvo of Saugus, Ron Mazzotta of Stoneham, and Paul Lawrence of Peabody, “Fly a Kite Day” is any sunny, windy day.
Salvo said he started flying kites when his kids were young and soon got hooked.
“I started when my kids were little, which was a long time ago. I’ve probably been doing this since the early 80s,” Salvo said. “I just got hooked on it, that’s all. It’s like fireworks in the sky without the noise.”
Lawrence said he and Mazzotta began sewing and flying kites competitively when they were invited to the Smithsonian Museum almost a decade ago for a kite contest.
“I’ve been flying since 1988 — it progressed into single-line kites, then stunt Kites, then I got into the sewing part, and I started making my own stuff,” he said. At the Smithsonian, “Ron placed first, I placed second,” Lawrence said.
Mazzotta said he likes to fly at Nahant whenever he can because it relaxes him. He said Lawrence taught him how to sew kites years ago.
“I’ve been into kites for about 40 years,” Mazzotta said. “It’s relaxing, we like the color of the sky.”
Lawrence said that he and his friends went to Revere Beach not because it was Fly a Kite Day, but simply because of the onshore wind.
“I made the arch, and I made the banner right here, and it’s such a lovely day that I decided to come down to Revere Beach because the wind’s blowing onshore, which is the same thing as Nahant, that’s where we usually fly,” Lawrence said.
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected].
