Kitebuilder.com

[Al Hargus]

http://www.kitebuilder.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=1745
GREETINGS EVERYONE,

Many of you that know me, also know that I am somewhat of a "Nostalgia Freak" and tend to go off on "Tangents" I heard some news recently that fits into both categories and as it says at the beginning of this Kitebuilders section, "What's on your mind? (Doesn't have to be related to kitebuilding)" I thought that some of you might be interested.

I've recently heard from my "relocated midwest kite friend" Phil Broder, that the Rio Motel in Wildwood New Jersey is going to be "Torn Down" this coming winter! The city is considering a plan from a developer to build a 25-story "condotel" on the Rio property. (Forget the horror of a condotel. Any idea what a 25 story building next to the beach is gonna do to the wind?)

I'm sure that more then half of you that are reading this are saying either "So what??" or "What the heck is the Rio??"

To the rest of you that have attended the East Coast Stunt Kite Championships or either of the two AKA conventions held in Wildwood, will know this is something of "the passing of an era" and there has been some "more then serious" talk of fliers going to the demolition to get ".....souvenir bricks or neon signs......"

For those of you that asked, "Rio Motel, what's that?" Here's the "Nostalgia and the History"

As many of you know, the East Coast Stunt Kite Championships began back in the mid 80's by Roger Chewning, Fran Grankowski, Olan Turner and many other dedicated East Coast event organizers. ECSKC can be/is considered the "Grand Dad" of all sport kite comps in the USA. They almost literally "wrote the rules book" at this event! Much of how SK events are organized and run was "invented" in Wildwood!

The original event flying field was between the two beach amusement parks and much farther "Up the Beach" from the current events beach fields. The "Original" headquarters motel" was the Quarter Deck One
(For all you, really old, nostalgia junkies got to - http://www.quarterdeck1.com/ )

The event grew and we quickly out grew both the fields and the Quarter Deck. Sometime around the beginning of the 90's the sport kite event moved farther down the beach to better flying fields and a much bigger headquarters motel, called the Rio Motel! When I say "better" it's all relative, as there were many other "much classier" accommodations in the area.

The Rio was "Home & HQ" In 1994 and again in 1997 when the AKA hosted the National Convention in Wildwood. And during that time the May ECSKC event changed it's focus and became the Wildwood International Kite Festival and hosted ALL types of kiteflying and not just Sport Kite Competitors! The Headquarters for the convention was the Rio Motel. The conventions registration room (as well as ALL ECSKC/WIKF events) was a large room at the Rio.

Right next door to registration was my room, Room 235, the Rio room I staked claim to first in 1989. I've stayed in that room fifteen times, over the years! I've missed making it to Wildwood a couple of times over the years
but I've became such a "fixture" in 235 that the Rio's manager would call me in April of every year and ask if it was OK to rent "MY ROOM" to someone else.
My favorite quote about ECSKC, Al and rm. 235, was from someone who said,
"The lights were out in 235 at 10 PM on Saturday night, so Al Hargus must not have come to the event!!
I have a personal key to Room 235 (I lost mine so many times and paid for it, I just took one home years ago!) I guess it's now a collectors item

So this talk about "saving bricks and even auctioning a neon sign" might sound "Silly" to many of you, but to some of us it's something more then talk about "Rented Rooms" It was our "Home away from Home"

Our "special place at the biggest kite event in the World!"
In closing, for all you "Rio Deck Members" and you know who you are. Go to the Rio's website which may not be there much longer, and "Take a dip in the Pool" @ http://www.riomotel.com/

[KiteSquid]

This truley is sad news.....

I will miss it and the winds of wildwood will never be the same.
_________________
VR/
KiteSquid
AKA TakoIka
AKA Harold
King George VA


P.S. Yet another post by the Squid..... Doesent he ever shut up???

P.P.S. The wind is like the air, only pushier.

[marty]

I have to admit that I had a lot of fun while staying at the Rio, but I'm not really going to miss it. The rooms were a place to grab a nap and to go to sleep and shower, but I can honestly say that I never thought, "Oh boy, I get to stay at the Rio again!"
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Gentle breezes...

Marty Sasaki
Arlington, MA USA

[Al Hargus]

MARTY,
I really can't argue with you there, this is "Nostalgia and Tradition" and not "Class A accomodations" Lots of kiters "refused" to stay at the Rio!

I can recall that if you arrived for the Memorial Day event really early in the week. (Which was, by the way the opening week" for the WW motels and facilities) That the water would come out of the faucet's looking like "Tea"

Truth, be known I've got enough "Stuff" in my apartment and am not looking for "Bricks"! And I also know that just like the change from the old field and the Quarter Deck years ago, "The event will go on"
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GOOD WINDS

AL
Columbus, Ohio
USA

[KiteSquid]

Do you know who built the "Rio" kite????????

It always made me smile when I saw it!!!!!!!!

I did not look forward to the rooms tho. They seem like they were 10,000 years old, and smelled like it too.

I will miss the cookouts up stairs.

and people having to go on the roof to recover a Rokkaku from a battle!!!!
_________________
VR/
KiteSquid
AKA TakoIka
AKA Harold
King George VA


P.S. Yet another post by the Squid..... Doesent he ever shut up???

P.P.S. The wind is like the air, only pushier.

[Al Hargus]

I know many people commented on the "state of the rooms" at the Rio, but my room 235, was the only one in the motel proper that had a kitchenette, we also had a "living room" of sorts. 235 is the room pictured in the Rio brochure! I know some of the "cottages" in the back that Roger and the event crew had were also "kitchen equipted"
AND as far as the "odor" I know that many of the non-smokers avoided the Rio. (I did/do smoke, so was partly at fault for that, Sorry)

One of the "Major" downsides to the Rio was that it was so close to all the rowdy and VERY noisy teenagers that would cruise the streets until dawn. 235's balcony was maybe 20 feet from the street.

BUT there were ways to fix that!
One night, years ago, on a Saturday night at maybe 3 am the noise outside was "Earshattering" my team mate, Rick Gardner, from Pair of Pairs, gets up and tip toes to the balcony door, he brings out this "Paint Ball Blow Gun" he brought with, and "Poof, Poof, Poof", the noise suddenly stops. As Rick goes back to bed he says, "Now you know why I brought a blow gun to a kite event!"

One of the reasons many people didn't like the Rio was because, "It never slept" And I NOW apoligize to all, some of that "...never sleep..." was my fault!

BUT it was one of the only places where, no matter what I did, no matter how noisy I got, the Teen agers were ALWAYS worse!



I do "sort of" recall a Rio kite, but don't know (remember) details! Anyone else have details??
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GOOD WINDS

AL
Columbus, Ohio
USA

[Elc0chin0]

I stayed there at the last AKA convention. Thanks for the info Al. Maybe you could collect enough dust from there put it in small viles glue a tac to it and sell them as kite pins at the next convention. Just a thought. Something hand made.



Oh and btw Al, you are a bit long winded.

I still have the post card from the hotel.
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Pornogami, coupled with gymnastics as an Olympic sport would be hot!

[Sodedako]