Santa Clarita’s Literacy & Arts Festival is just around the corner on December 3 at Newhall Park in Newhall. In its fifth year, the festival is a community wide event with entertainment and sights to enthrall all ages. As the name says, the focus is on literacy and arts of all types. It is an event to promote the importance of reading and the arts in education and in our lives in a fun way. Reading and being involved in some form of art is not only beneficial but it is fun and entertaining.
Instead of giving you studies and statistics that prove students do better in all subjects when they have some form of art in their lives, or remind you that the more you improve your literacy skills the better you will do in everything, I want to share with you what we are doing at the festival that will pull people into the wonderful worlds of reading and the arts.
Our Story Village will have different themed tents. Authors, teachers and special guests will read books all day in the genres of adventure, fantasy/science fiction, humor/poetry and all time favorites. In these decorated tents, listeners will experience the delights and thrills of a good story. We also have a “book swap” for kids. Bring a gently read book and swap it for one that is new to the reader.
For the arts we have an array of talents from schools, professionals and arts organizations. Guests will have opportunities to take part in hands on visual art projects, see demonstrations of theater and dance and listen to different types of music. Our features include Suessical the Musical presented by Placerita Jr. High. Read a painting – what do you see beyond the obvious? Watch as a block ice is sculptured into a piece of art. Paint a piece of a large mosaic and enjoy the original production of Charlie & Jack & the Chocolate Beanstalk. Visit one of the many booths to create your own masterpiece and watch as artists demonstrate their craft.
This is just a sampling of what can be experienced at Santa Clarita’s Literacy & Arts Festival. It is a day full of surprises and wonderment. It is a place that exposes you to different types of art and how they interact with everyday life. It is a place to hear and experience the magic of reading.