Lake Antoine Park Partners will host its third Kites Over Awesome Lake Antoine — KOALA event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the park in Iron Mountain.

About 30 professional fliers from the Midwest will put on a display of giant, elaborate show kites.

“This is the only winter kite fest in the U.P.,” said LAPP Vice President and KOALA Chairwoman Barb Kramer, adding LAPP is excited for its return after having to cancel last year due to poor ice conditions from the mild temperatures.

“The weather forecast for the week looks good and the ice on the lake is measuring from 10 to 12 inches,” she said. “We are expecting a great turnout.”

Free shuttle buses will again be available to transport KOALA spectators from the Bay College parking lot on U.S. 2 to Lake Antoine Park. The shuttle will leave from Bay every half hour starting at 10:30 a.m. and also make return trips from the park.

A formal national anthem will kick off the show at 11 a.m., with Mike Caruso serving as emcee for the day.

They advise that spectators view the displays from the beach area because of the extremely slippery ice conditions.

Vehicles will be asked to follow the designed traffic pattern through the park for the safety of pedestrians and to prevent congestion. Viewers can enter by the boat landing or main gate, but all will exit at the south gate onto Lake Antoine Road South.

Spectators are welcome to park in the boat landing lot or throughout the campground.

They will have a special handicapped parking area near Pavilion 1 for those to sit and view the kites, Kramer noted.

With the limited parking space, free shuttle buses will again be available to transport spectators from the Bay College parking lot on U.S. 2 to Lake Antoine Park. The shuttle will leave from Bay every half hour starting at 10:30 a.m. and also make return trips from the park.

The first 100 children will receive a ready-made kite donated by Vision Source of Kingsford.

Kids can enter a drawing to win a KOALA stuffie, along with free admission passes to the Imagination Factory Children’s Museum.

Two food vendors will offer lunch for the afternoon. DeBacker Burger Truck will feature burgers, grilled cheese, soup, hot chocolate and coffee, while Millie’s Market will have pasties along with other items.

LAPP will have KOALA souvenirs, as well as Lake Antoine merchandise for sale in pavilion 1. Any funds raised from sales will go to its pocket park project.

“We will have the pavilion wrapped, along with several patio heaters for warming,” Kramer said.

They will also hand out free hand and toe warmers while supplies last.

Route 66 Kite will be on the grounds selling kits for kids and the young at heart, she said.

Thanks to the support of 46 community members and businesses, LAPP is able to host the family-oriented outdoor activity at no cost.

“This is a fun outdoor activity for the entire family,” Kramer said. “Come for a few minutes or a few hours and you’ll see a great kite show.”

Terri Castelaz can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 241, or tcastelaz@ironmountaindailynews.com.