UPDATE: High winds forced the closure of Western Playland on Sunday, Feb. 26. The park will reopen at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, for the park’s Spring Break kickoff.

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (KTSM) – Western Playland will have a ribbon cutting on Saturday, Feb. 25 to celebrate the start of the new season under new ownership.

The company, Traders Village, purchased the amusement park in November of 2022 and wanted to move their Dallas-based company out west.

One thing that was promised to the previous owner, Patrick Thompson, was that his staff would still have jobs after he left. Traders Village kept their promise, which according to marketing director Lee Ann Murray, made the process smoother.

“It was a total natural fit. You know we didn’t have anybody that wasn’t pulling their weight. We all got along really well, very responsive. We kind of just seamlessly meshed together to get stuff done in such a short timeline,” Murray said.

With such a short amount of time to revamp the park to give it a fresh look for guests, the staff worked diligently to get it ready. They commissioned local artists to paint a mural at the front gate, worked on the landscaping and added new food options throughout the park.

“It will be absolutely gorgeous. They did an amazing job, you know, and we freshened up the paint color and as we go in, you can see the food stands and the kind of things to prep for for the season,” Murray said.

Even though opening day is Saturday, Murray and Traders Village have an extensive plan to improve the experience people will have at the park. They want to bring in larger rides and include local vendors to bring in a fun atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.

“This summer we’re going to have live music and fireworks and then we’re also talking to vendors about coming and doing little pop-up tents,” she said.

Western Playland will also be open 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26.

For more information, click here.

For local and breaking news, sports, weather alerts, video and more, download the FREE KTSM 9 News App from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store