A scene from a previous Kite Festival. Courtesy/LAAC

A scene from a previous Kite Festival. Courtesy/LAAC

LAAC News:

The Los Alamos Arts Council (LAAC) and Enterprise Bank & Trust bring the community a weekend of kite flying festivities 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday at Overlook Park.

The Kite Festival is an annual tradition in Los Alamos County, bringing enthusiasts from around the region to fly kites of all types and share this historic art form with children of all ages. Kite building workshops run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, but participants are welcome to start flying early if they have a kite already.

Kite Festival offers kids (and kids at heart) the chance to build a kite at one of the Los Alamos Arts Council’s workbenches and when complete, children can receive a free tee shirt commemorating this year’s festivities. Like years past, there will be volunteers of all ages helping kids decorate and build their kites before heading to the field to fly them high in the sky with their friends and family.

This year, thanks to the generous donations of sponsors, the Los Alamos Arts council was able to distribute more than 350 kites to local youth after school programs and Los Alamos Public Schools teachers to work on kites together in classrooms and at Los Alamos Public Libraries, Los Alamos Steam Lab, Fuller Lodge Art Center. There is also the invitation to the public to stop by the Fuller Lodge Art Center before Friday to decorate one of the kite sails for the Arts Council 60 kite train, which will fly high Saturday and Sunday morning.

The Arts Council invites members to a special event 4:30-6 p.m. Friday at Fuller Lodge Art Center to meet new staff, visit with volunteers and enjoy a light dessert and non-alcoholic beverages.

This annual event would not be possible without the generous donations of time and financial support of sponsors: Enterprise Bank and Trust, Los Alamos Children’s Dentistry, Del Norte Credit Union LOV Foundation, Los Alamos Science Fest, Wheeed!, and private donations from local citizens. If interested in volunteering for Kite Fest or make a donation to support this and other cultural programs in Los Alamos, please visit: www.losalamosartscouncil.org/kite-festival

Los Alamos Arts Council is a 501c3 nonprofit bringing cultural programming to Los Alamos County since 1967. Donations to the organization support these programs as well as ongoing mission to unite the community through the arts.

A scene from a previous Kite Festival. Courtesy/LAAC