Fest celebrates Spanish Fork's wind park

SPANISH FORK — Colorful kites pulled behind a two-man watercraft dipped and swayed over the city's reservoir on Friday.

Five across with long, brightly colored tails, they reached high into the sky then cut quickly, skimming barely above the water. It's all part of the second annual Windfest, celebrating Spanish Fork's entry into the wind energy field with its now celebrated wind park. The event continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Kiteman Productions putting on the kite show hourly on the reservoir.

Also on the water, patrons may take a ride on a Hui Poakalani Outrigger Canoe, learn about sailing with the Bonneville School of Sailing or take a lesson in paddle surfing from Utah Paddle Surfing.

For folks more grounded Friday, the Utah Remote Control Aircraft Clubs were flying their miniature aircraft at the Spanish Fork Gun Club while an area nearby was blocked off for professional and amateur kite flying.

The Kalama Mohala Dancers performed.

Meanwhile merchants were taking advantage of the estimated 20,000 to 40,000 people expected to attend. Last year some 20,000 people came, organizers say.

One of the more unusual booths featured Mary Sivertsen dishing out helmets so folks could try out her two-wheel, gyroscope-balanced Segways around a marked course.

"You lean forward to go faster and backward to slow or stop," she said.

The business, Segway of Utah, is located in Spanish Fork, but sells the machines around the country, she said.

A Salt Lake City business, Golf Greens Fore U, set up a putting green on the side of the mountain using artificial grass. An indoor putting green was placed across a cement pad.

"This will be a whole, big putting green," said owner Dave Allen while his wife smoothed the sandy foundation to the green.

Earlier, city officials gathered to recognize a new information kiosk just off U.S. 6 at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon with the white turbines spinning in the background. The kiosk was put there so passers-by could stop and learn about wind energy, said Christine McKell, spokeswoman for Wasatch Wind.

The commercial wind park was the first for the company and Utah, she said.

It is the seventh largest in Edison Mission Group's collection of 25 wind parks across the nation, but receives the most requests for tours, Edison spokeswoman Susan Olavarria said.

The city is encouraging local schools to visit the wind park to learn more about wind energy, said city recreation director Dale Robertson. Added to the power grid in June 2008, an informational panel says, the turbines generate enough power annually to satisfy the power needs of 6,000 households.

e-mail: rodger@desnews.com