WARM WELCOME: Newton Fest, Alumni Weekend return after a year hiatus

Gerry Gilbert, of Osceola, wasn’t planning to attend Newton Fest’s finale concert on Saturday night at Maytag Park, but a chance trip with her great-grandkids found her sitting at one of the picnic tables and watching 4-year-old Ruby Brown practice her dance moves on the hill overlooking the bowl.

Within the next 30 minutes, Gilbert would have to decide if she, her great-granddaughter and great-grandson Kane Brown would stay a little longer for the show, featuring the Iowa-based folk-fusion band The Nadas. It wouldn’t take long for Ruby Brown to put her dance moves to good use.

About an hour before showtime, Gilbert and her great-grandchildren had been enjoying themselves at Maytag Park and had just stumbled on Newton Fest.

“It’s been a good day — a good Iowa day,” Gilbert said.

Danielle Rogers, organizer of Newton Fest, spent most of the day behind the wheel of a utility vehicle, touring the Maytag Park and making sure all the activities went smoothly. By the time The Nadas were about to perform, Rogers was justifiably exhausted. Everything did run smoothly. It was nearly over.

“I’m really pleased,” Rogers said. “I don’t think anybody really knew what to expect with 2021, but after not having Newton Fest in 2020 and kind of understanding that this year would look different I’m really pleased with how everything turned out. We had a great turnout here in Maytag Park.”

Several of the activities — the BBQ contest, safety fest, kids zone, etc. — were held in the open park, which was given a relatively warm forecast with a persistent breeze throughout most of the day. Other festivities like the free movie, car show and baking contest were held in downtown.

Participants in the Iowa Brewery Running Series Run for Beer 5K frequently cut through the park on foot. All the while the aroma of barbecued meats permeated the green space. Kids laughed while taking turns at the inflatable games and firing “Star Wars”-esque blasters at their friends during laser tag.

Meanwhile, Newton High School alumni were able to recover from their Friday night festivities with a brunch and hall of fame ceremony. Afterwards, many head out to Westwood Golf Course for the second annual Jack Chadwick Golf Tournament. Throughout the weekend, the Newton Alumni Association collected funds to pay for a cross country teams course at the school.

“Overall, I think it was a success,” Rogers said. “And for that first event back from a pandemic in Iowa, it was great time to bring our community back together.”

Rogers believes a fair amount of visitors were looking forward to Newton Fest this year, particularly because of 2020′s troublesome trends: the pandemic and the derecho. It felt like Newton kind of got stomped on last year, Rogers said. To take part in a multi-day community event was probably refreshing.

“I think people were looking forward to an event that kind of brought back a little bit of normal to their lives. And Newton Fest has always kind of been that kickoff to summer. School’s out usually that weekend before and before everyone is kind of running around with activities we try to bring everyone together.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com