To the Editor:

Thanks to Terry Sagedy and the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission, the arts were celebrated and shared for two days last weekend at the terrific Newtown Arts Festival on the grounds of Fairfield Hills.

Starting with the nine-member commission and adding more than 100 volunteers, 5,000 attendees participated in dance, poetry, music, and art, plus "make it crafts" - and were treated to an impressive graffiti demonstration and huge puppets.

The proceeds of the festival supports scholarships to graduating high school seniors from Newtown who are going on to major in the arts and grants to artists and art associations in Newtown.

We thank our volunteers and our major sponsors.

The Newtown Cultural Arts Commission meets on the second Thursday of each month in the lower level of the Town Hall South (behind the police station). We curate the art gallery at the Municipal Center, create the exhibitions in the showcase at the library, are already planning the 2017 Newtown Arts Festival, and support the arts through information and participation.

If you, like us, would like to support the arts, come to our meetings. We are a collaborative commission that welcomes your input. Members and the public sit around the same table. For more information on the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission contact me at chair@newtownartscommission.org.

Laura E. Lerman

Chairman, Newtown Cultural Arts Commission

September 20, 2016