NYFS Is Seeking Volunteers For 24th Annual Holiday Festival; Organizational Meeting Planned For Sept. 24

Newtown Youth & Family Services (NYFS) will be celebrating its 24th annual Holiday Festival on Sunday, December 6, 2009.

The event is an integral part of a weekend-long array of town activities that signal the beginning of the holiday season in Newtown. The Holiday Festival is traditionally held on the first Sunday in December and is the closing event of a weekend that begins with a tree lighting ceremony at Ram Pasture on Friday night, followed by the annual Lions Club Pancake Breakfast the next  morning at Edmond Town Hall, various events for all ages and interests running on Saturday, and a second a tree lighting ceremony and related events on Saturday evening in Sandy Hook Center.

In addition, the Holiday Festival  is a major fundraiser for NYFS, which derives only part of its funding from town, federal and state grants.

“The Holiday Festival is one of those special Newtown events that make it such a wonderful place to live,” said Layne Lescault, who is returning as the Holiday Festival Chair this year.

Ms Lescault is no stranger to leading this grand event. She has been the lead chairman of the Newtown Holiday Festival for two years already, and she co-chaired the festival with Laura Miller Kurtz in 2006.

She is hoping for another strong crop of volunteers to make the 2009 festival a success for Newtown and NYFS.

“[The festival] is very labor intensive, and we always need new volunteers to bring a fresh perspective to the event,” she said.

The festival consists of house tours of historic Newtown homes, ballet performances, a gingerbread house exhibition and contest,  a festival of trees featuring miniature trees and wreaths decorated and ready to be raffled, children’s activities, pictures with Santa, and  a Victorian Tea.

This year the festival will also include a craft fair organized by Newtown artisan Stacey Olszewski.

The craft show will be a welcome return this year, having been on hiatus. Previous holiday festivals have presented the crafts show and sale at Newtown High School and Newtown Middle  School.

Volunteers are needed for pre- and   day of work in a variety of venues.

“We are not asking for a huge commitment of hours. Tell us what time commitment you can make and we will find a spot for you,” said Ms Lescault. “For young people, volunteering for the festival counts as community service hours.”

Ms Lescault is also seeking decorators to decorate the tour homes and for musicians to perform at various festival locations. One of the festival’s largest draws is the tour of private homes, usually five or six of them, with each professionally decorated for the day. Musicians have traditionally performed in each of the homes as well as on the stage at The Alexandria Room at Edmond Town Hall during the festival’s Victorian Tea, and even served as strolling musicians along Main Street the day of the festival.

“We will need docents to work in two or three hour shifts, leading visitors through the houses on December 6. We also need someone with computer skills to assist in preparation of our festival program book,” said the chairman. “We’d love to talk with you about volunteer opportunities.

Anyone interested in the festival and its myriad opportunities is encouraged to contact Layne Lescault at 270-6481 or 241-5782 or e-mail her at LCLescault@hotmail.com (please reference Holiday Festival in the subject line).

A Holiday Festival Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, September 24, at 7 pm, at Newtown Youth & Festival Services, 17 Church Hill Road. Everyone is welcome.

Newtown Youth & Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic and youth service bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their highest potential. It provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support groups and education throughout the greater Newtown area regardless of ability to pay.

The vision of NYFS is to become a recognized leader in providing mental health and social services to assist people in achieving their highest potential.