By Jennifer Jacob Brown

jjacob@themeridianstar.com



The town of Newton is known for being rich with local artwork and home to a huge concentration of antique shops, so it’s fitting that their newest local festival is called Art and Antiques.

The festival, which will be held Saturday, April 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will feature artists, crafters, and antiques in downtown Newton.

“It’s kind of a Spring festival, if you will,” said Angie Burks of the Newton Chamber of Commerce. Having an art and antiques festival is perfect for Newton she said, because, “We have so many artists in Newton and we have several antique shops just opened.”

Burks does guided tours of Newton, and said the tours have generated a large amount of interest in the many murals painted in Newton’s downtown buildings, and the murals generated a lot of interest in local artwork in general.

She said one of the questions she is asked most often is where local artwork can be purchased. Now, at Arts and Antiques, people will be able to browse through the work of an array of artists from Newton, Philadelphia, Forest, and other nearby communities.

Guided tours of Newton are offered to groups of 15 or more and include re-enactment at a cemetery, lunch at the Depot cafe, a look inside the La-z-boy factory, and visits to art galleries, among an array of other things.

For more information on Arts and Antiques or on the tours of Newton, call the Newton Chamber of Commerce at (601) 683-2201, e-mail chambernewton@bellsouth.net, or visit www.newtonmschamber.com.