Dear Editor:

Last weekend's Citywide Arts Exhibit marked the official start of Hoboken's Sesquicentennial Celebration as we launch a year-long series of special events to celebrate our 150th birthday in grand style.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the dozens of residents and former residents who have come together and taken it upon themselves to serve as volunteers for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

I was very pleased that hundreds of residents and visitors stopped in at the many galleries and businesses which participated in this art show. Many of the venues, including City Hall, will leave their displays on site for the entire month of March.

An event like this brings our community together. Long time residents, new comers, seniors and school children will participate in scheduled events through late summer. Their participation in the planning has been overwhelming. It's still not too late to offer your opinions and to volunteer. If you are interested in participation, please call the Division of Cultural Affairs at (201) 420-2207, and if you would like a schedule of planned events, log on to the City's website at www.hobokennj.org. You will find that we are a community of many all-time American firsts, from the first game of baseball to the invention of the ice cream cone. We've produced a number of born and bred celebrities, from crooner Frank Sinatra to notorious politico G. Gordon Liddy.

On March 28, 1855, Hoboken was officially incorporated and Cornelius V. Clickener was our Mayor. One hundred and fifty years later, I am proud to serve as Hoboken's 36th Mayor. We will celebrate our rich traditions with events ranging from a grand parade, a gala dinner, a vintage baseball tournament, a citywide spaghetti dinner block party and more.

I hope you will join us, either through volunteerism or participation. Now is the time for all Hobokenites to come together and pay tribute to our past and future. Again, I would like to thank all those who have volunteered their time to make these events become reality. The celebration has begun and I invite everyone to join us.

Mayor David Roberts