To the Editor:

Barbara Snyder, chairman of the Newtown Arts Festival, welcomed the world to the 2021 Newtown Arts Festival and a lot of them showed up. Under the leadership of Barbara Snyder, the Newtown Arts Festival, sponsored by the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission and begun in 2012, had record attendance this year.

The dance (thanks to Andrea Stafford) and music and art (thank you to SCAN) and the Art of Science Tent as well as Cardboard University, under the leadership of Tracy Van Buskirk, and The Make and Take Tent have all been supported by volunteers. And we thank the Fiber Arts people.

From high school students to adults, our volunteers were the foundation onto which we built our events.

And Terrific Totes, one of many free art projects, was manned by Paula Brinkman and Nancy Cole, the two artists of this year’s and last year’s arts festival signature art.

Jim and Jen Cebry performed their usual magic as they readied the tents and the grounds for our visitors. And who returned the soccer field to its previous high quality.

Mike and Jen Guman, of Flagpole Barn Concerts, returned this year to present Alternate Roots Friday night and seven bands through the weekend. From rock, to folk to jazz, and everything in-between, we thank therm.

And we thank Lynn Hungaski, who was such an important part of our development team and Warren and Andrea Spencer for their continued leadership at the Beer and Wine Garden.

And Terry Sagedy for emceeing the event.

The success of the 2021 Newtown Arts Festival will enable the Cultural Arts Commission to continue to award scholarships to Newtown graduating seniors who are majoring in the arts, and grants to Newtown artists and organizations that expand the arts to the Newtown community.

What begins with just nine members of The Newtown Cultural Arts Commission expands to include our auxiliary members and, the day of the festival, innumerable volunteers. The work that our volunteers, and all our partnering organizations, especially Newtown Savings Bank, who man the entry, have done has enabled Newtown to embrace and experience the arts on a new and more accessible level.

We could not have done it without Ms Snyder’s leadership. To the volunteers, our sponsoring partners, and especially Barbara, on behalf of the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission, I thank you.

As a housekeeping note: All lost and found articles are at the Parks and Recreation office in the Community Center. We thank them for handling this for us.

Laura E. Lerman — Chairman

Newtown Cultural Arts Commission