Hospitality_Recreation

kites_212

Kites soar near the Washington Monument during the annual kite festival on the National Mall in Washington on Sunday, April 10, 2011. After 44 years of Smithsonian sponsorship, this was the first year the kite festival was put on by the National Cherry Blossom Festival. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

kites_211

Claire Tarallo, 5, of Herndon, Va., walks with her Disney kite as she prepares to try to get it into the air during the annual Blossom Kite Festival on the National Mall in Washington on Sunday, April 10, 2011. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

kites_210

Claire Tarallo (left), 5, Nora Tarallo, 3, and dad Brian Tarallo take a break from flying their kites to eat lunch during the annual kite festival on the National Mall in Washington on Sunday, April 10, 2011. The family is from Herndon, Va. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

20110410-202515-pic-217326196.jpg

Xian Lin, of Potomac, flies his kite Sunday during the Blossom Kite Festivalon the Mall. His elaborate kite featured the mascots from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. To mark the transition from the Smithsonian Kite Festival to the first Blossom Kite Festival, this year's suggested theme was spring and blossom-inspired kites. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

20110410-202515-pic-636226429.jpg

Claire Tarallo, 5, of Herndon, tries to get her Disney kite aloft Sunday at the annual kite festival on the Mall. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

20110410-202515-pic-513976604.jpg

Kites soar high above the flags at the base of the Washington Monument during the annual kite festival on the Mall. After 44 years of Smithsonian Institution sponsorship, this was the first year the kite festival was an event sponsored by the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which began March 26 and ended Sunday. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

20110410-172807-pic-918245283.jpg

Polish opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski places a candle at the memorial dedicated to his twin brother, Lech, and the other passengers who died in the plane crash near Smolensk, Russia, on April 10, 2010. (Associated Press)

China_Shanghai_Disney.sff.jpg

This photo provided by Disney Parks, shows an artist's rendering that depicts the proposed Shanghai Disney Resort. Walt Disney Co. and its Shanghai partner broke ground Friday, April 8, 2011 for a long-awaited theme park that Disney hopes will draw legions of newly affluent Chinese and provide a cornerstone for its brand in the world's most populous country. (AP Photo/Disney Parks)

BUDGET_191

Tour guide Karen Van Gilder describes the rich history of the artwork in the rotunda at the nation's Capitol in Washington, D.C., Friday, April 8, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Space_Shuttles_Last_Stop.sff.jpg

This image provided by the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Thursday, April 7, 2011 shows a proposal for a space shuttle exhibit in New York. Enterprise will go to New York City's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum for display in a glass enclosure on a Manhattan pier on the Hudson River, next to the aircraft carrier that houses the museum. (AP Photo/Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum)

20110407-174809-pic-630456859.jpg

This unbaked confection of cookie chunks and chocolate is similar to what Prince William has requested for his groom's cake. "He's having a bit of fun with it," says British chef Camilla Schneideman. (Associated Press)

20110407-174802-pic-91792293.jpg

At Rosenblum Cellars, the idea of mixing chocolate and wine goes back about a decade, says winemaker John Kane. (Associated Press/Rosenblum Cellars)

20110407-174802-pic-650809521.jpg

Opici Wines has introduced Cocoa di Vine. More vintners are amping up the decadence decibels with blends of wine infused with chocolate flavorings. (Associated Press/Opici Wines)

20110407-174835-pic-221669995.jpg

A limousine once belonging to mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel is on display at the "Mob Experience" exhibit at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. (Associated Press)

20110407-174747-pic-82527896.jpg

Gabrielle Davison of Bowie and her son Dominic try to get their kite airborne during the 2009 Kite Festival, then sponsored by the Smithsonian, on the grounds of the Washington Monument. (J.M. Eddins Jr./The Washington Times)

20110407-174747-pic-702365502.jpg

Tom and Tara Frazier of Annandale fly rainbow-colored kites alongside other aficiandos at the 2008 Kite Festival, part of the kickoff festivities for the National Cherry Blossom Festival for 45 years. The event is in peril this year because of the chance the federal government will be shut down if the budget battle on Capitol Hill remains unresolved. (The Washington Times)

20110407-174747-pic-489113130.jpg

The Smithsonian Kite Festival may not take off as planned this year because of the winds of politics in Washington. The kite festival traditionally kicks off festivities for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which also would be canceled by a federal government shutdown. (The Washington Times)