Submitted photo Wheeeeeeeeee! Kite buggies take to Long Beach, Wash. April 16 and 17.

LONG BEACH, Wash. – Ten or more kite buggy pilots will demonstrate the ingenuity and required dexterity of using wind power to propel a land vehicle, on Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and 17, on Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula.

The flying and driving event, under special permit from Washington State Parks, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days along a three-quarter-mile stretch of beach paralleling the Long Beach boardwalk. A display area will give the public opportunities to see the buggies up close and talk with their pilots, all members of the North American Power Kiting Association.

The event marks the opening of the World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame’s “Kites Have Power” exhibit, which runs through March 2012. This exhibit on land and water power kites includes the first kite buggy made by Australian Peter Lynn; George Pocock’s development in the late 1820s of a pair of four-line arch kites to pull a carriage; Paul Garbor’s WWII target kites, which pulled a moving object to train gunners on ships; and more.

“It’s exciting to watch the kite buggy develop from a sport Peter Lynn introduced in 1990 toward practical applications,” said Kay Buesing, executive director of the World Kite Museum. “Our Kites Have Power’ exhibit captures some of those applications, and who knows, may inspire more.”

Long Beach has been called the “Kite Capital of the U.S.” Kite shops, resident kite flyers, the Washington State International Kite Festival and the World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame provide enjoyment for kite enthusiasts and first-time flyers alike. In addition to the town of Long Beach, the Long Beach Peninsula boasts a string of coastal communities with amenities for locals and visitors alike. Attractions include national and state parks, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, two historic lighthouses, an eight-mile paved coastal trail, the Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge, one-of-a-kind museums and a 26-mile span of wide, sandy public beach. For event and visitor information, call the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau toll-free at (800) 451-2542 or visit www.funbeach.com