“Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height…” Kites galore will take to the skies above Beach 84th Street on Saturday, July 20 as part of the Rockaway Kite Festival. As the kites fill the sky with color, many will be reminded of the colorful personality of the man who started it all—the late Billy Taylor.

Taylor was a man of many trades and talents, and one of them was purely unique—kites. In 2015, Taylor spearheaded the Rockaway Kite Festival, an event that many hadn’t seen the likes of