Many decades ago, Newburgh and the surrounding areas were sleepy communities. The area has always been comprised of friendly neighbors living in a small-town world. However, there was seldom much to do.
There were occasional carnivals at the Newburgh waterfront, the Newburgh Mall, the New Windsor Little League, and the former St. Joseph’s School. The annual Storm King Firemen’s Fair has gone on nearly forever. July 4th activities were limited to fireworks in the City of Newburgh and the Town of Newburgh, but contained no real celebration. The only Independence Day celebration was in Cornwall. New Windsor never had fireworks presentations or any other large-scale town events. Despite the lack of community activities, the area has had many other factors making it a great place to live. It just needed to come alive. And that it has.
This summer was full of growing activities in each of the local municipalities like long-time residents have never seen before.
In the Town of Newburgh, the annual Community Day held prior to the Fourth of July has been ongoing since the mid-2000s. The Town’s participation in the National Night Out celebration is slightly more recent and joins residents, first responders, and business owners together in an evening celebration.
In the City of Newburgh, there are too many community events to mention. For starters, the City was the first in the area to begin celebrating National Night Out over two decades ago. Throughout the summer, the City has been holding pop-up barbecues on the streets while city employees and volunteers work side-by-side cooking for their residents. City leaders have worked with civic organizations in coordinating outdoor movie nights, outdoor concerts, music festivals, and farm markets. The Recreation Department erected inflatable water slides at various locations. The City even held a large food truck festival on Independence Day.
In New Windsor, Town officials continue growing their annual Community Day event. It has developed into a combination of a community get-together and a carnival, full of fun events for children and adults. The annual festivities always end with fireworks. Prior to the creation of the Kristi Babcock Park, New Windsor never shot off fireworks. For the first time this year, New Windsor began participating in National Night Out, which brought together all aspects of the community. The Town recently completed their annual outdoor summer concert series at the gazebo at Town Hall. They also held outdoor movie nights at the Kristi Babcock Park, which has been quite successful.
In Cornwall, the annual Independence Day celebration has always been the talk of the Town. In Cornwall-on-Hudson, the Storm King Engine Company continues holding an annual fireman’s fair. The annual RiverFest draws large crowds to the waterfront for a large festival. Residents turned out throughout the summer to watch outdoor movies on an inflatable screen at the waterfront, as well as live music at the waterfront on other nights.
Despite the national economy plunging, the local economies are holding up well. The City of Newburgh’s Moody’s credit rating recently reached an all-time high rating of A3. It is because of the strong local economies and public support that these events are able to continue running.
The Newburgh News thanks our elected officials from both sides of the political aisle for properly representing their municipalities by giving their residents activities and entertainment to attend throughout the summer. These types of positive events bring together neighbors for a safe and enjoyable time. It unites the community as a whole while also building the trust between residents and their public officials. The high public turnout to these events shows that the community appreciates it.
