by Rose Bostwick
Members of the Newton community assembled Sunday, Oct. 23 for Newtonville Village Day, an annual festival held by the Newtonville Area Council. Attractions included a variety of music and dance performances at two sound stages, local cultural organizations, assorted kids’ activities, such as face-painting and bounce houses, and stands from local vendors.
Junior Emma Richmond, a sewing teacher at craft studio HipStitch, was running one of the stands at the event. According to Richmond, the company was at Newtonville Village Day to lead “seasonal crafts to appeal to the community” because of the many kids there.
On the performance stage, a variety of groups performed, including Joanne Langione Dance Center, Giroux Brothers, the International Dancesport Club, Oom Yung Doe, All That Jazz, and the YCCA Rock Bands. A performance by the the North Jazz Ensemble kicked off the performances on the Jazz Stage, and was followed by The Christopher Brown Trio, the Gravel Project, the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble. The concert closed for the day at 4 p.m. with the New England Jazz Festival All-Stars.
Junior Sophia Markert, who coordinated one of the Joanne Langione Dance Center performances for children, said, “The performance went well with no mistakes, and everyone did a phenomenal job.”
In addition to craft stands, there were also booths set up by various organizations to appeal to the older audience. One of these was Bike Newton, a non-profit organization that encourages bicycling as a method of transportation in Newton. Lois Levin, chair of the Newton Bicycle committee, said that the goal of attending the event was to “promote safe biking and safe connections with biking in Newton” and to “make bikes safe for everyone.”
Newtonville Village Day was entertaining for all who attended and showcased the pride and culture of Newtonville and the Newton community.