WARWICK — Residents will celebrate the longstanding history of their town this weekend during the traditional Old Home Days.
Old Home Days Committee Chairwoman Colleen Paul said the whole town has come together to create a jam-packed weekend. The event is possible through the efforts of numerous local organizations.
“The library will have a lot of things going on because they’re celebrating 100 years in their building,” Paul said of some of this year’s highlights. “The Warwick Arts Council is sponsoring a one-woman show. She will be in Victorian costumes and talk about things that happened during the Victorian era.”
Paul said she has been part of the Old Home Days Committee for more than 20 years, after her father “drafted” her, and has started to take the reins herself in the past few years. Her father, Larry Carey, was responsible for reviving the Old Home Days celebrations when he was a selectman in the mid-1990s.
“There was a period they didn’t do it for a long time,” Paul explained.
Old Home Days was an event that Carey had grown up with, and no similar event had ever filled its place for the town to rally around. He joined together with other residents to bring the event back to life, slowly reviving Old Home Days into the town-wide celebration it is today. Now, as president of the Warwick Historical Society, Carey will represent the society during the weekend’s events.
6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. — This year, Old Home Days will have a bit of an unofficial start on Friday evening. Local piano students will perform solos, duets and as a trio at Town Hall. Free. Light refreshments to follow.
8 a.m. — Events will officially kick off with coffee and doughnuts in Town Hall provided by the Warwick Women’s Guild.
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Women’s Guild bake sale at Town Hall.
10 a.m. — Parade. Participants will line up at Warwick Community School starting at 9:30 a.m.
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. — The Warwick Free Public Library is celebrating 100 years in its building and will display “Page 100 Found Poetry.” Readers were asked to pick a favorite book, turn to page 100 and cover up words to create a poem with the remaining words. Librarian Ivan Ussach encouraged participants to dress their poem up with some artwork for the display.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Open mic for anyone wishing to perform, hosted by Jim McRae, on the common behind the historical society.
All afternoon — The Warwick Fire Department will be on site at Town Hall, cooking hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries.
3 p.m. — The Warwick Historical Society is sponsoring the second annual Warwick Cemetery Walkabout. Interested parties should meet under the cemetery’s metal sign. Participants will meander through the cemetery and linger a few extra moments at designated sites to learn about the interred residents and their connections to Warwick.
6 p.m. — The Metcalf Chapel will provide a pork roast supper at Town Hall. The meal will cost $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 3 to 12, and children under 3 eat for free. The menu consists of pork loin and baked beans with coleslaw, bread, dessert and a beverage. A vegetarian option will be available.
7 p.m. — The Warwick Arts Council will present “The Victorian Life: Dressing from Corset to Gloves,” a one-woman theatrical performance by Kandie Carle. The performance is focused on the late-Victorian 1890s Gilded Age. While dressed in actual vintage and reproduced clothing, Carle shares history and stories from the Victorian age, taking her audience on a journey of discovery using clothing and accessories as a tool. The performance is free, but donations are accepted.
10 a.m. — Firefighter’s muster at the Warwick Fire Department.
1 p.m. — Plaque dedication to commemorate the Witherells as the builders of Town Hall.
1 p.m. — Satellite dish toss on the Town Common. After ongoing efforts to update the town’s broadband system, “Old Home Day will again have the internet satellite dish toss celebrating our liberation from high-latency internet,” Town Coordinator David Young said.
2:30 p.m. — Corregatta Boat Race, sponsored by the Moore’s Pond Beach Committee, at the town beach on Moore’s Pond. Now in it’s sixth year, the race has proven to be an exciting and challenging event for participants as well as spectators. Residents from all towns are welcome to compete, and participating is free.
Rules for building a boat and registration forms are available at the Warwick library or Town Hall. There will be two races: one for children and one for adults. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place in each race, as well as prizes for the first to sink and the fan favorite.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 264.