Muslim Community Contributions to Houston Lauded during Iftar Celebration
Blog contributed by Muhammad Saeed Sheikh, President, Houston Karachi Sister City AssociationFor Houstonians, the beginning of Ramadan means the exciting news that the Abu Dhabi, Baku, Basrah, Istanbul, and Karachi Sister City Associations in Houston, along with The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), and over 50 other collaborating organizations will bring “Houston Iftar: Annual Ramadan Dinner with Mayor of Houston” to the city. The 2015 Houston Iftar was attended by more than 1,800 individuals on June 28. Attendees enjoyed candid talks, inspirational prayers, ...
Rekindling a 30-Year Sister City Partnership
Story contributed by Karen Anderson, Executive Analyst, Park City Municipal CorporationTwo mountain towns – Park City, Utah and Courchevel, France – though a continent away, have developed a long and storied bond through their sister city program.The cities, both world-renowned ski resort destinations, first developed an alliance in 1984. During that time, Courchevel’s star was rising after having just helped secure the bid for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, Park City was still a sleepy, funky mountain town just beginning its own rise to internati...
Spring “New Year” Celebration Forms Community Bonds
This year we hope you remembered to tell your Uzbek friends “Navro'z muborak!” The word Navruz itself means “new day” or “new beginning” and marks the beginning of the Persian calendar during spring solstice each year. Sister cities Seattle, Washington and Tashkent, Uzbekistan had a new beginning of their own 42 years ago, as they established the first U.S.-Uzbek sister city partnership (and the first U.S.-Soviet sister city as well). One of the ways Seattle has grown and maintained its ties with Tashkent is by celebrating Navruz, a holiday widely observed in ...
Culinary Diplomacy Connects Chefs in Cleveland, Ohio and Rouen, France
Food acts as a great diplomacy tool, often helping people bond and connect within and between cultures. Rouen, France’s Mayor and local chefs visited Cleveland, Ohio in 2011 to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau wine and to do a cooking demonstration at Tri-C Hospitality Management. Their successful visit sparked an interest in a reciprocal culinary exchange, and in 2014, a delegation was formed and a trip was planned in collaboration with Cleveland Sister Cities. Four popular Cleveland-area chefs Brandt Evans, chef-co-owner of Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern in Twinsb...
Country Music Capitals Unite!
When you hear the phrase “Music City,” the first place that comes to mind is Nashville, Tennessee – and its sister city Tamworth, Australia wants to learn from the largest country music brand in the world. John Sommerlad, Director, Business & Events, Tamworth Regional Council, and Craig Dunstan, Manager Economic & Destination Development, Tamworth Regional Council, came to Nashville to represent Tamworth Country Music Festival at Fan Fair X Country Music Showcase and to learn how to promote Tamworth as an internationally recognized musical destination. ...
Inaugural International Bowl Brings Japanese Football Players to Alabama
Also known as America’s favorite sport, football is especially coveted in the southeastern United States. The city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama is home to one of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s finest teams, University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide. Unbeknownst to many in the U.S., football is also a highly popular sport in Japan. The city of Narashino, Tuscaloosa’s sister city, is home to one of Japan’s top amateur football clubs, the eight-time X League Champions and seven-time National Champions, Obic Seagulls. Back in 2008, a volunteer from Narash...
Sister City Helps Revive Tradition
Sant'Elia Fiumerapido, Italy is a picturesque town in the Roman countryside with a long culinary history. It was known to provide much of the olive oil for the Roman Empire and olive harvesting is an integral part of the town's identity and tradition. In recent years, with changes in the local economy, Sant'Elia's famed olive trees are being threatened. Sister city Santa Monica, California is now playing a role in helping revive its rich culinary tradition. Every year, residents of Santa Monica travel for a week to the olive fields of Sant’Elia and take part in local ...
Sister City Inspires Diwali Celebration
More than 15,000 people attended a “Diwali” celebration in the city of San Antonio, Texas last month making it the largest city sanctioned Diwali event in the United States. Diwali, also known as the “festival of lights,” is a five day festival widely celebrated in India.San Antonio's annual Diwali event, held in the city’s Hemisfair Park, was started to commemorate the city's sister city signing with Chennai, India in 2008. A brainchild of Anuja San Antonio, the NGO that handles the sister city relationship with Chennai, the event has grown from 3000 ...
Opening doors to a rich cultural experience
This Fall, Asheville residents got a chance to experience the rich cultural heritage of their sister city San Cristóbal de las Casas, thanks to Asheville Sister Cities International! ASCI’s “Palenque Rojo” cultural project was the culmination of two years of planning and fundraising and successfully leveraged community resources and partners.San Cristóbal de las Casas is home to the renowned theater group “Palenque Rojo.” ASCI brought more than 20 Palenque Rojo actors, dancers, and musicians to Asheville for their first ever performance in the United States. In ...
Unique arts structure celebrates sister city relationship
In 2011, Tacoma Sister Cities Council inaugurated a unique structure to celebrate its relationship with sister city Fuzhou, China. The award-winning “Fuzhou Ting”, a Chinese pavilion, is aimed at supporting Tacoma’s reconciliation efforts. It is housed in the Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park, a memorial dedicated to a painful time in Tacoma’s history, the expulsion of its Chinese citizens in 1885.The construction of the Ting, which began on September 22, 2010, was a collaborative process that involved various members of the community and its sister city. The City ...