Oakland Theatre sign comes home

The Village of Warwick will be getting a relic from its own history this Saturday. On November 16 a portion of the sign for the Oakland Theatre, formerly located where Burger King now stands, will be returned to the village after being salvaged from the spot’s demolition in 1972.

According to the village, the Oakland Theatre was built in 1914 and closed in October 1972. The theater was a local hot spot, showing popular movies, displaying local photography, and holding minstrel shows. At the time of its closing, then-operator Charles Finger lamented about the difficulty in getting films to be shown there, since it was not a chain theater. The building greatly deteriorated in the years leading up to its demolition. But this iconic piece of its history can now be seen.

A ceremony celebrating the return of this piece of history will take place November 16 at 11 a.m. at 75 Main Street, Warwick. Attendees can enjoy popcorn and reminisce about the shows they saw there way back when. A small exhibit of Oakland Theatre artifacts will also be on display, courtesy of the Warwick Valley Historical Society.

In its announcement, the village said, “The Village of Warwick is excited to receive this portion of the Oakland Theatre sign as it is a part of the village’s history. We hope you can join us to share your stories and memories of the Oakland Theatre.”