KCT Labyrinth- A Labor of Love

By Shelley Wigglesworth

Labyrinths have been created in various settings all over the world since ancient times, dating back thousands of years. A single path on the ground which will take you to the center and back, a labyrinth is engaged symbolically and sometimes ritually for purposes such as meditating, prayer, spiritual connection, soul searching, celebrations, mourning, honoring, reflecting, connecting with nature and more. In a nutshell, labyrinths are places for personal, psychological and spiritual contemplation and unification. The addition of a labyrinth to the KCT has proved to be a beneficial and worthy extension to the open woods and serves as a permanent invitation and option to all who love and utilize the Trust land to explore.

In less than three years, the KCT labyrinth dream became a reality and is now a sought-out destination. The labyrinth is 70” wide and wheelchair accessible. It is a place where persons of all walks of life, demographics, ages, and abilities come to experience the beauty of this peaceful path. Here is how it came to be.

Juliet Altham has been involved with the KCT labyrinth since the beginning. She said she learned about a labyrinth being on a ‘to-do’ list at the Trust, with fellow KCT volunteer Jenny Comeau already working on fundraising for it. 

“I had discussions with Tom Bradbury when I came across the site one day and instinctively felt there was something powerful about it - as well as it being beautiful. We were immediately on the same page about its significance and the kind of structure we imagined, and so he asked me to present a proposal to the Trust board of directors, which I did. In September of 2018, the KCT board approved the labyrinth and from there, the entire project was conceived, planned, and executed by volunteers.”

By October of 2018, a core working group was formed with Jenny Comeau, Bethe Hagens, Ingunn Jørgensen, Melanie Montembeau, Jenne James, Louise Spang, Kate Brown and Otie Ann Fried, Rebecca Roberts and Juliet Altham. These dedicated volunteers were supported by equally dedicated local businesses who donated materials, advice and labor, with key contributions from Spang Builders, Woods Farm Landscaping and Brian Fairfield Stonework.

From November 2018-June 2019, research, consultation, and planning took place. “Invitations were sent out for people to donate a stone in honor of someone,” Rebecca Roberts noted. She added “In December of 2018, as part of Kennebunkport Prelude, the first Labyrinth of Light event was held at the Grist Mill property to raise awareness of the project. The labyrinth attracted hundreds of visitors and was featured on the front page of Portland Press Herald.” 

In January 2019 work toward the permanent labyrinth began with sitting stone boulders moved from across Emmons Preserve. By July of 2019, planning permission was granted and by August 2019 an installation of a gravel access path and compacted stone dust for the base of the labyrinth was completed. A ceremony to bless and set intentions for the site occurred in September of 2019, with over one hundred community members in attendance. “Community members brought stones for the labyrinth and participated in a celebration with live music and a potluck picnic,” Roberts explained. By November 2019, the labyrinth was mapped out on the site and groups of volunteers began to dig in the stone, and in December of 2019, a second Labyrinth of Light ceremony took place once again for Christmas Prelude, this time at Kennebunkport Village Green.

 Plans for groups of volunteers to dig in labyrinth stones for KCT labyrinth were scheduled for the spring of 2020, but were cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic, though volunteers from the labyrinth group worked in pairs and small groups through the summer and fall to continue digging in stones. The continuation of construction during the pandemic offered hope to those working on the labyrinth, and despite some inevitable obstacles along the way, Altham said “it allowed us to refocus and to collaborate together on a common goal despite all that was going on in the world. It was very therapeutic. The project really began to flow at this time.”

By November 2020, the labyrinth stones were complete and in December 2020 the third Labyrinth of Light ceremony took place on site at Emmons Preserve. This event consisted of ongoing solar lights illuminating every night at dusk until dawn from Prelude until snowmelt, rather than a one time lighting, providing not only a peaceful and beautiful display but a powerful and symbolic beacon of hope during very uncertain times.

The 2021 Labyrinth of Lights will take place at Emmons preserve during Christmas Prelude with solar lights once again being illuminated from dusk until dawn from the beginning of Prelude until winter solstice.