From the Mayor’s Office: Close to the Bone

After so many weekends of hosting leaf peepers and apple pickers it’s nice to wind down and to enjoy the hometown we relish. Enjoying Warwick can surely be had with a ride through hill and dale, visiting familiar haunts or local watering holes and the inspiring beauty that surrounds us. There are other ways of being connected and enjoying community. This weekend was a good example of local events that involve us, encourage us, and fulfill us in a way that is important.

On Saturday, The Game of Skate took place in Memorial Park. Under blue skies, warm temps, young men and women of all ages competed and showed us their skating prowess. This was a cooperative event sponsored by the Warwick SkatePark Initiative and the Greenwood Lake SkatePark Corp. Both groups are actively fundraising to develop new SkatePark facilities. The event included a pop-up Skate Clinic by Shred.Co. Shred.Co is an instructional program based in Montclair NJ, their mission is to improve physical, mental and social-emotional well-being on both a local and global scale through skateboarding. The competition was well attended. Special thanks go to Orange County Snowboards and Bike, Franks Pizza, Cool Suppliers, Taco Hombre and Adam Powers and Power Skateboards for their support! If you want to support the Warwick or Greenwood Lake initiatives visit: warwickskatepark.com and gwlskatepark.com.

On Sunday, in the warm drizzle, 2,000 all white narcissus bulbs were planted to naturalize around the 9/11 Sculpture Garden in Stanley Deming Park. Volunteers included members of The Warwick Valley Gardener’s, Warwick Playground Dreams, the Village Board and even a young man driving by and saw the activity! The site was prepared by the Department of Public Works and with many hands the project was complete in an hour. This was a fun and meaningful project, and we look forward to next Spring and the result of the planting.

And now the week ahead:

Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. Polls are open 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. For any questions and information please reach out to https://www.orangecountygov.com/783/Board-of-Elections

and to make it more exciting, the evening of November 8 will be a full moon and a full lunar eclipse. The full “Beaver Moon” will be shadowed by the earth which will cause the moon to become a red orb and will last for over an hour. It will probably be blamed for wins and losses at the polls!

On Thursday November 10, 7-8:30 p.m. at the AW Buckbee Center, 2 Colonial Ave., will be A Veterans Day Remembrance. The event will be hosted by Tom Brennan as he interviews WW2 Veterans Warren and Don McFarland. This an evening of personal insight, camaraderie and sharing by local veterans. All are invited to this free event sponsored by the Warwick Historical Society.

Thursday evening as well will be a Mental Health Forum, 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the former Kutz Camp, Mountain Lake Park, 46 Bowen Road. This will be a panel discussion on the current state of mental health and explore community generated solutions for healing including a focus on helping youth. The event is sponsored by We the People Warwick. All are welcome. For more info visit: https://wethepeoplewarwick.org/events/you-are-not-alone-part-1

Friday November 11, at 11:11 am is our annual Veteran’s Day Parade. Line up is at Engine 1 / Excelsior Hose Co. Church St Extension. The parade will step off from the corner of High St. and Main St. The route is down Main St to RR Ave. to South St, Park Way, Park Lane to the Veterans Monument at the entrance of Veteran’s Memorial Park. There will be a ceremony followed by a BBQ at the Excelsior Hose Co. on Church St Extension. The event is sponsored by Warwick VFW Post 4662. All veterans are welcome to march.

These are the events that are the rhythm of our lives – small celebrations and acknowledgment of who we are and the simple joy we find in each other.