Post by pete johnsonMore in the Chicago Tribune about the Chicago Kiteman
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-231update.kiteflyerdec31,1,4795975.story
THE YEAR 2007 IN REVIEW: TEMPO UPDATES
TEMPO UPDATES: OCT. 19
Colleen Mastony
December 31, 2007
, kite man lets it fly"
Summer is gone. The weather has turned cold. But despite the freezing winds
and snowy sidewalks, Mike Illich has resolved to fly his kite once a month
until spring.
A retired computer systems developer from Oak Park, the 74-year-old Illich
has been flying for four years, launching flimsy plastic kites from Oak
Street and North Avenue Beaches, from a golf course in the western suburbs
and even from the corner of Seminary and Waveland Avenues, where he
sometimes flies his kite over Wrigley Field.
But his favorite perch is the Michigan Avenue Bridge -- a stellar spot for
kite-flying, with winds that whip strongly over the river and a steady
supply of spectators who ooh and ah over Illich's kite.
This winter, he has suffered a few setbacks. He lost a kite after the string
snapped and the kite fell into the Chicago River. And he recently slipped
and fell when trying to climb aboard his bicycle.
Still, he continues to fly "to entertain people, to entertain myself and to
have fun."
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