Sesquicentennial opening ceremonies held at Warwick Reformed Church

By Roger Gavan
WARWICK — An unexpected change in the weather, including a severe thunderstorm warning, caused a last minute change of plans for the first day of the weeklong 150th anniversary or Sesquicentennial series of events in honor of the incorporation of the Village of Warwick in 1867.
The opening ceremonies and ribbon cutting, originally scheduled for Railroad Green, were held at the Warwick Reformed Church.
Nevertheless, the event was well attended since the change had been posted on Facebook.
And since early accounts of the history of Warwick believe that "Warwick," was named after Warwickshire, England, joining Mayor Michael Newhard in the opening ceremony was Stephen Cross, the mayor of Warwick, England, the county town of Warwickshire, and his wife, Christine, who served as the previous mayor.
Local officials and members of the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce joined Mayors Cross and Newhard in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Mayor Newhard expressed his appreciation to Mayor Cross and his wife for crossing the ocean to Warwick, New York, one of 17 communities throughout the world named Warwick.
Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton praised Newhard for arranging this first time visit by a Warwick, England, mayor and quipped that he may have also arranged for rain to make him feel at home.
Both officials presented Cross with proclamations and he, in turn, expressed his appreciation for the invitation and that he looked forward to the four-day celebration and ceremonies that will include concerts, contests, dance performances, a float parade, unearthing of a time capsule and a fireworks extravaganza
Mayor Newhard's proclamation gift to the UK Mayor used similar language from a gift given to Warwick England, in 1907 in celebration of their 2000th Anniversary.
The Oxford Depot Blue Grass Band provided Blue Grass musical entertainment for the evening.