Our Hometown
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Pam and Len Wilkes, residents of Newark, England, are in the United States for the first time, on a two-week whirlwind tour. It is also the occasion of Len's 60th birthday, which was October 1. What started as an
inquiry about a trip to Rome, Italy for his birthday, turned into a trip to America. (The
couple did pass through Rome, New York while travelling on the New York State Thruway.)
Next, the couple took a ferry across Lake Champlain into New York State, visiting Elizabethtown and Lake Placid. On October 5, they drove to Newark. The Quality Inn announced their presence on the sign out front, and the Wilkeses and
Fred and Jean Pirelli enjoyed dinner at Burnham's Canalside Restaurant (pictured) at
the Inn.
Newark, England is a market town, with products ranging from ball bearings to military pumps and sugar. RHP/NSK has a facility there, as does pump-maker Worthington-Simpson. The population of Newark is between 24,000 and 26,000, says Wilkes. Pamela said Newark is located in "Robin Hood Country" in the northeast midlands. The couple has three daughters, ages 26, 28 and 32, as well as two grandchildren. Len will retire at the end of October, after many years as an insurance salesman. He was mayor of Newark from 1995-96 and still serves on the Town Council. While he was Mayor, he and his wife met Princess Anne. Mayors from the Newarks of the World met in England in 1995. Wilkes presented a certificate to Mayor Fred Pirelli which reads: "Greetings! The Town Mayor of Newark, Councillor Mrs. Doreen Westmoreland, the Town Councillors and townsfolk of Newark-on-Trent, England, extend their best wishes to Mayor Fred Pirelli, Mayor of Newark, NY and all Newark's Townsfolk." Later Wednesday, Pirelli took the Wilkeses to Niagara Falls for the day. This
weekend, the couple is in Massachusetts, visiting Sturbridge, Provincetown and Cape Cod.
(They are determined to see some whales before they leave the East Coast.) They will fly
back to England on Monday. Copyright © 1998 |
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Newark, England couple
visits
They left England on September 29, and headed for Boston. After a
visit there, they journeyed to Newark, Vermont, to a spacious country home in the
mountains. They really enjoyed "leaf peeping" and were at a loss for words to
describe the splendid colors of autumn in Vermont.
On Wednesday morning, the couple enjoyed
breakfast at the Newark Diner. (They are pictured with Diner owner, Jim McBride).