COTA is an acronym worth its weight in ink, designating as it does a Celebration of the Arts for the mid-Hudson Valley and beyond. The fine and performing arts festival scheduled for this Saturday, October 10 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. is no mere art exhibit where visitors sip wine and stare at paintings. Produced by the Arts Community with abundant support from numerous area organizations and businesses, COTA is a gathering of artists, musicians, performers, poets, authors and special guest speakers who will spread themselves under tents and in buildings across six acres of Historic Huguenot Street to engage in the nuts and bolts of creativity with visitors and each other.

This celebration, now in its third year, was founded by a local homeschooling teen and has proven successful in establishing an interactive atmosphere. Artists and guests can explore innovative possibilities - like involving the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange to provide rescued building materials from the commercial waste stream to be used in "found sculpture" projects, or participating in the construction of "artist habitats."

COTA is a day when both professional and aspiring artists of all genres can get together and create community. In addition to viewing the works of area fine artists and enjoying the music and poetry of the many excellent performers in our midst, visitors are encouraged to interact with the artists and find out about their creative processes. Additionally, there will be a networking tent where consultants will offer their services free to arts professionals who live and work in the Hudson Valley, including art sales and marketing consultant Nicole Carol, arts attorney Gary M. Schuster, Barefoot Dance Center director Jessie Levey, founder of LaLeona Arts Sadee Brathwaite and Connie Noelle leading an open discussion about curating arts events.

Inquiring Minds Bookstore has invited local authors Joanne Michaels, Bobbi Katz, Alan Lewis, Alice Andrews, Tim Tocher, Janine Ogden, Larry Carr, Frank Boyer and Iza Trapani to appear in the book tent throughout the day. Young people will find lots to do at the storytelling tent with nature storyteller Jill Olesker, and at a singalong with Dorothy Penz and Clyde. Kim Ward will lead kids in a Raingutter Regatta, with ships replicating Henry Hudson's that they've constructed themselves. In the performance tent, a multicultural lineup is scheduled including Ninety Miles Off-Broadway, sixth-grade Kuchipudi dancer Sahana Natesan, Minor Constellations, A Perfect Gift: All That Is Jazz, a preview of Jack Wade's Red Masquerade, the Mid-Hudson Mexican Folkloric Dancers, Kat Spina, Paul Carol, the Barefoot Dance Company, Los Doggies and others.

The Arts Community is a local non-profit committed to supporting local artists, exposing the community to a diversity of artistic expression, creating relationships and opportunities among artists and bringing more art education into the community. COTA is entirely free to the public - an event not to be missed. Embrace creativity! For more information see www.celebrationofthearts.net.