The 2014 Newtown Arts Festival Committee plans to host its first public planning meeting on Tuesday, February 18, at 7 pm. It will be in the HealingNewtown Arts Center, located on the lower level of Newtown Congregational Church at 14 West Street.

The 2014 event is planned to offer nine days of cultural activities commencing on Saturday, September 6, and culminating in the outdoor onsite event at Fairfield Hills on Saturday and Sunday, September 13-14. The committee is also planning to host the Second Annual Rooster Ball dinner dance on Friday evening, September 12, in the entertainment tent at Fairfield Hills.

 “The 2014 Newtown Arts Festival will continue to build on the foundation of the week-long format we established last year,” said the event’s chairman, Terry Sagedy.

“We sought to bring the best possible cultural offerings to the community as we navigated our ambitious agenda in 2013. With that success behind us, we are collaborating with a number of local and regional arts groups in an effort to continue to establish the event as an important component of the cultural life of Newtown,” Mr Sagedy continued.

The committee is seeking volunteers to help in a variety of positions including subcommittee chairs and individuals to support them.

“In order to continue to expand, we’re reaching out to people from Newtown and the surrounding areas to help us with all aspects of the festival from planning to implementation,” said Mr Sagedy. “It’s a lot of fun but there’s plenty of work to do.”

The Newtown Arts Festival was introduced to the community by the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission in 2012 with a two-day outdoor event at Fairfield Hills. In September 2013, the festival was expanded to a nine-day format including five days of cultural programming and the Rooster Ball followed by the two-day outdoor event at Fairfield Hills. 

For additional information contact Mr Sagedy at 404-234-7345 or terrysagedy@gmail.com.

Festival Artwork Sought

Meanwhile, Newtown Cultural Arts Commission is accepting new, original art that illustrates “Newtown Arts & Culture,” with the winning artist receiving $750 and the opportunity to see their work in myriad uses and locations. The winning image will be used to promote the 2014 Newtown Arts Festival and will appear in businesses and public spaces around Newtown and surrounding towns.

The image will also be printed on T-shirts, posters, and other items that will be available for purchase at next year's arts festival.

Submissions are due to the Festival Artwork Selection Committee c/o Koenig FrameWorks, 97 South Main Street (Route 25) in Newtown, by February 15. Entries will be accepted during regular business hours (Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm). Late entries will not be accepted.

Visit newtownartsfestival.com for additional information including guidelines and applications, or contact Donna Mangiafico at 203-788-7474 or djmangiafico@aol.com.

Last year’s winning work was “Newtown, Express Your Love” by Carol Collins. The multicolored hand-cut, hand-painted, rooster design was made of Bristol Board.

Ms Collins noted that it was a “celebration of our town’s resilience, creative spirit, and ability to greet each new day with hope and love,” adding that she started working on the rooster the weekend after 12/14 happened.

“I did it to share love, make it more bearable,” she added