WTF is #Bojikites?

#Bojikites is the brainchild of Okoboji, Iowa native and businessman Steve Boote. More than a hashtag, it’s the insignia for the annual University of Okoboji Winter Games Kite Festival.

And while there is no University of Okoboji (that’s a huge part of the fun!), the kite festival, introduced a half-dozen years ago, has grown into a very real and prominent part of an enduring tradition – one that’s helped define the Iowa Great Lakes experience for decades.

Boote and his team of kiters have one mission – fill the sky with as many show kites as possible. Sounds easy enough but, weather aside, it can be daunting within the allotted time and space.

Openness to working collaboratively, flying one’s kites in stacks with others, and helping each other wherever and however possible are among prerequisites for making the #Bojikites team and putting on a well-managed and captivating show.

Fliers are housed in a nearby dorm with plenty of provisions in the main kitchen, snowcats and side-by-sides are available for hauling gear on and off the ice, and in the past, Boote has taken the precaution of outfitting kiters in super-warm and buoyant Ice Armor gear. Safety is paramount and the kiting team is positioned to lend a hand on the ice and in the water, if needed.  

The four-day endeavor involves setup out on the ice, with the team drilling and outfitting anchor locations as mapped and then pulling out all the stops in three solid days of flying, with as many kites up as weather conditions permit. The result is a memorable event that, for the fliers, goes far beyond kites in the sky to the friendships and teamwork that made it all possible.