Alamogordo NM
10-09-2026 6:45am

Kite festival to fill the sky over Alamogordo labyrinth park Oct. 17

ALAMOGORDO — Families can build, decorate and fly kites for free on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Dream Higher Autumn Kite Festival. The daylong event runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Trinity Turtle Healing Labyrinth Park, 7440 U.S. Highway 54.

CAPPED Inc., a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by registered nurse Tresa VanWinkle, is hosting the festival as a stress-reducing day out for all ages. Its theme is "Kites Connect Generations," and organizers are inviting grandparents, parents and children to register and fly together.

The day ends after dark with a lighted kite exhibition.

From kite building to night flying

Registration and kite building open the day. The first 80 registered children ages 6 to 12 will receive a free white kite kit to decorate. The first 50 children under 6 will receive a free white pinwheel, and organizers say adults who are "still young at heart" can ask for one too.

Volunteers in the kite-building tents will supply markers and help with decorating. Families register as a group, and organizers say the contact cell number will be used only to share news of future events.

Registration, kite building and pinwheel decorating run from 10 a.m. to noon. Hot dogs with all the fixings will be served under the Big Pavilion from noon to 1 p.m., with donations appreciated. Kite flying runs from 1 to 5 p.m., followed by a dinner break from 5 to 7 p.m. The lighted kite exhibition closes the day from 7 to 9 p.m.

For safety, kite flying is limited to the park's West Kite Flying Field. Organizers suggest bringing a flashlight for the evening exhibition.

A labyrinth, a raffle and a cause

Visitors can walk the park's Head, Body and Tail labyrinths throughout the day. Organizers say the site is believed to be the largest concrete labyrinth in the world, citing its listing on the World Wide Labyrinth Locator. They encourage families to take a break, walk, breathe and connect with each other and with nature.

Four dragon kites will be raffled during the afternoon. The first ticket is free at registration, and additional tickets are two for $1. The red dragon will be drawn at noon, the blue at 1 p.m., the yellow at 2 p.m. and the purple at 3 p.m.

Additional kites and supplies will be for sale. Those include commercial kite kits, special-design kites, large kites for adults, string reels and LED string light kits. All proceeds will fund next year's events, organizers said.

VanWinkle, who also serves as executive director, founded CAPPED in Alamogordo in 2000 to meet a growing need for cancer information and support in the rural community, according to the organization's website. The group has since broadened its work to wellness and prevention more generally. In 2023 it changed the words behind its name to Center Advancing Primary Prevention thru Enlightened Decisions.

The festival fits that focus. CAPPED says VanWinkle sees addressing chronic stress as key to preventing chronic disease, and views places like the labyrinth park as essential to community health. The organization's stated vision is "a world without cancer and other preventable disease."

The festival is a community service project supported by Otero County. The park, a CAPPED community health project, was partially funded by the New Mexico Economic Development Department's Outdoor Recreation Division. It is open to walkers around the clock, year-round.

If you go

The Dream Higher Autumn Kite Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Trinity Turtle Healing Labyrinth Park, 7440 U.S. Highway 54, Alamogordo. Admission is free. Organizers recommend hats, sunglasses, sunscreen and plenty of water, and all children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. For more information, text or call 575-430-7798.

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