Community and Color Soar at Edgewood’s Annual Kite Festival

EDGEWOOD – After a breathless start on Saturday, the Wildlife West Nature Park’s annual Kite Festival took flight on Sunday as the New Mexico winds finally provided enough breeze to transform the event into a kaleidoscopic gallery of soaring diamonds, deltas, and banners.

The Edgewood Kite Festival, a local tradition spanning over two decades, proved once again that some of the best entertainment in the digital age requires nothing more than a steady breeze and a bit of string.

“It’s a wonderful thing for kids to get off the computer and go do something real,” said Roger Alink, owner of Wildlife West Nature Park and the event’s long-time organizer. Alink, who grew up on a Minnesota farm tying kites to fence posts that would stay aloft until morning, has been the driving force behind the festival for two decades after the event was taken over by Wildlife West.

What began as a municipal Parks and Recreation project eventually evolved into a personal mission for Alink. “Somebody told me, ‘Go fly a kite,’” Alink joked. “And that’s exactly what I did.”

The Art of the Sky

For the enthusiasts gathered on the field, kite flying is less of a hobby and more of a technical art form. Among the “kite pilots” was James B. Johnson, a collector with roughly 50 kites in his arsenal. Johnson’s interest was sparked 20 years ago by a local shop in El Dorado Square, and he has since graduated from simple childhood toys to complex machinery.

Johnson spent the afternoon explaining the nuances of the craft to curious onlookers, distinguishing between single-line reels and “traction foils”—four-line power kites used for buggies and boards that require gloves to prevent line burns.

“Deltas or diamonds are the best for beginners,” Johnson advised, noting that while the massive, professional kites look impressive, they possess a “power” that can be overwhelming for a novice.

Banners and “Turbulent” Fun

While the kites provided the movement, Carveth Kramer provided the color. A master of “kite banners,” Kramer has spent 25 years designing and sewing massive, 16-foot-tall fabric displays that dance in the wind.

“Most people think of a banner as something on top of a computer page or a sign on a building,” Kramer said. “But out here, they add the color.”

Kramer, who has been flying for 30 years, prefers the challenging New Mexico wind to the steady breezes of the coasts. “On the coast, people stake their kites out and come back two hours later. I find that extremely boring,” Kramer said. “In our area, you have turbulent wind. The fun is playing with the wind to keep it up as long as you can.”

Kramer’s expert tip for the day? Use your face. “I tell kids, use the skin on your face to find out where the wind is coming from, then turn 180 degrees.”

The Next Generation

The festival serves as a vital community bridge in the small town of Edgewood. For Olivia Fulton and her two-year-old son, Owen, the event was a practical science lesson.

“We’ve been learning about wind, so what better way to experience it?” Fulton said as she watched Owen chase a kite back to earth. “It’s important for the kiddos to have activities like this in a small town. The more people who come, the more we get to have these events.”

Despite the joy of the weekend, the festival faces modern challenges. Volunteers are becoming harder to find, and the tradition of “kite decorating” for children has been hampered by a lack of helping hands. Yet, as the wind hit the sweet spot of 15 to 20 mph on Sunday, the spirit of the event remained undiminished.

As the sun began to dip, the field was still dotted with families—some wrestling with “stunt” kites and others simply content to watch a six-foot Delta find a thermal layer and sit, as Kramer described it, “perfectly still, like it’s under a coat.”

For the people of Edgewood, it was a reminder that even in a world of high-speed internet, there is still plenty of magic to be found in a piece of string and a 5-mph gust.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Wildlife West Nature Park is currently seeking volunteers to help with the operation. It’s a unique opportunity for anyone interested in caring for wildlife. If you are interested in volunteering call them at (505) 281-7655.