WARWICK — After a year’s hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Old Home Days will make a nearly full return in Warwick later this month, minus the firemen’s muster and satellite dish toss.
Held Saturday and Sunday Aug. 28 and 29, this year’s festivities include a parade, a tag sale, hot meals and the famous “Corregatta” cardboard boat race on Moores Pond.
“Come out and celebrate the history of our town,” said Old Home Days Committee Chair Colleen Paul.
Paul said her father, Larry Carey, revived the then-dormant celebration while he was a Selectboard member in the mid-1990s. Carey, who is now president of the Warwick Historical Society, “drafted” Paul to join the Old Home Days Committee and she has now been involved for about 25 years.
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, Paul explained. Carey joined together with other residents to bring the event back to life, turning Old Home Days into the townwide celebration it is today.
While the event was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Paul said she is excited to bring the event back for 2021.
“We have a really good community, and it’s really nice to bring everyone together once a year to celebrate our town,” Paul said.
The Old Home Days Committee works with town committees and departments, including the Warwick Arts Council, Fire Department, Metcalf Chapel and more to plan the jam-packed weekend.
However, this year’s Old Home Days celebration will not feature a firemen’s muster or satellite dish toss, as have been included in prior years. While Paul said the satellite dish toss may be becoming a retired event in the age of broadband in town, she hopes to bring the firemen’s muster back for future years.
■9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Tag sale on the town common. There is free space for interested vendors to bring a table. For more information, contact Paul at 978-544-0014.
■10 a.m. — A parade featuring the Warwick Fire Department, antique car owners and electric vehicles will make its way around town. The parade will line up at the former Warwick Community School at 9:30 a.m. before traveling to the Fire Station.
■10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — An open mic stage will be set up on the town common for local musicians to perform.
■10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — The Warwick Historical Society will be open, with a ceremony for a “Person of Honor” at 1 p.m. The Warwick Women’s Guild will also have a booth, with a presentation celebrating its 100th anniversary.
■3:30 p.m. — A cemetery walk at the Warwick Cemetery, off Route 78, will be led by Clare Green and other residents. Participants will be guided through the cemetery and learn about the interred residents and their connections to Warwick.
■All afternoon — The Warwick Fire Department will cook and serve hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries.
■6 p.m. — The Metcalf Chapel will serve a chicken barbecue dinner with potato salad, and brownie sundaes for dessert. Tickets cost $12 for adults, $6 for kids ages three to 12, and kids under three eat free. Dinner will be served on the town common where the Farley String Band will perform. Tickets to the dinner will be available at the Old Home Days celebration that day.
The Farley String Band is named after the historically significant section of Erving. The group’s repertoire includes about 80 tunes and continues to grow. These include old-time fiddle tunes, jigs, reels, airs and slow waltzes. Attendees can count on the band to play its signature tune, “Cold Frosty Morning.”
The free concert is made possible with a grant from the Warwick Cultural Council.
■10 a.m. — Church service at Metcalf Chapel.
■1 p.m. — Conway resident and wildlife rehabilitator Tom Ricardi will hold a birds of prey presentation at the Warwick Free Public Library.
■2:30 p.m. — The famous “Corregatta” cardboard boat at the Moores Pond Town Beach.
The Moores Pond Beach Committee will again sponsor the cardboard boat race, which has grown into one of the highlights of Old Home Days celebrations, Paul said.
There will be two races — one for adults and another for youths ages 16 and under. The top three finishers in each division will receive a prize. Prizes will also be given to the first boat to sink, as well as the fan favorite, voted by spectators.
Flyers describing boat construction rules, along with entry forms and waivers, are available at the Warwick Free Public Library and on the bulletin board at the front of Town Hall.
Race rules and waiver forms will be available at the race, although rules can be viewed ahead of time at bit.ly/3stteKG. Digital versions are also available by contacting the secretary of the Moores Pond Beach Committee, Jean.Haskell@gmail.com.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.