Jumping the pond: Sister city guests from Wareham, UK hit the town

It’s not quite home, but our Wareham is still their cup of tea.

About 18 people gathered in Town Hall Oct. 14 to welcome guests from Wareham, England to our Wareham, including Select Board Member Joseph Still and Historical Society President Angela Dunham. The welcome breakfast kicked off a series of activities, including touring an A.D. Makepeace cranberry bog, visiting the New Bedford Whaling Museum, strolling down the streets of Plymouth and enjoying a potluck dinner.

The five guests from England stayed with hosts in town. Karen Hong, who hosted a married couple, said she looked forward to learning more about them and their country.

“Karen, our hostess, is just so welcoming,” said Jennie Sharp, who visited the country for the first time. “I think it’s a great thing to build relationships across nations and meet people from different countries. I’m really delighted to be here.”

She said she always wanted to see New England’s fall colors. For Judith Holmes, the most exciting part was the friendliness of the American people.

“I’ve always found Americans really hospitable and very welcoming, and it’s just overwhelming to feel welcome straight away and feel at home,” she said. “Going to someone’s home, you’re made to feel an honored guest.”

She said the American Wareham is different in some ways to the English Wareham.

“It’s bigger, more spaced out, old — but not so old as our Wareham. I like the green open spaces and the style of the houses,” Holmes said. “It’s worth making the long journey, and I’m looking forward to a good time.”

Angela Nock, who visited the town a long time ago with her late husband, said she’s hoping to recognize the places she went to then, like the police station. She and her husband worked in the police department in England.

Former Town Moderator Claire Smith gifted the guests a coin which had the seal of Wareham, U.S. on one side and Wareham, England on the other. “We are, going forward, forever bound together,” she said.

In May 2024, residents visited England through the “Twinning Committee,” which set up the exchange with our sister city. One of the visitors, Norma Scogin, took knitted poppies to give to Wareham, England for the town’s Remembrance Day for World War I veterans. Smith said the English town reminded her of home.

“The red carpet was rolled out the minute we walked in the food, and we felt so comfortable and just had such a great time,” she said. “It reminded me so much of our Onset. You know now why they settled here. It looked like home.”

Caroline Riddle, one of the five English guests, presented to Smith a painting of Wareham, England, which was painted by a local artist on behalf of their Twinning Committee. The painting is a famous scene of the town, which has been mostly unchanged for hundreds of years, Riddle said.

Like Smith, our town reminded her of home. She said she could see the connection between the cities, like the river and its significance to the area. 

Dunham, from the Historical Society, said cultural experiences such as these have enriched her life.

“We have, as a nation of immigrants, had the input of various cultures and perspectives of people from different countries coming together,” she said. “Cultural opportunities are priceless. They’re worth more than gold, so this, to me, is very important.”

Smith said the schools will be sending 29 students over to the sister city next year.

“We hope that the friendship is just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger,” she said.